WHO warns of rising wildfires across Europe

2 min read

Wildfires have increased sharply across parts of Europe this summer, with outbreaks in France, Germany, Greece, Spain and Portugal and firefighters killed while battling blazes in France and Italy. From the start of the year to 22 July, 1,254 fires emitted more than 8.31 million tonnes of CO₂, and 254,388 hectares had burned so far, compared with about 2.2 million hectares last year. WHO Europe says fires are becoming more frequent and intense, with Portugal and Spain each reporting a 100% rise versus the same period in 2025, and warns that smoke and toxic pollutants can harm health far from fire zones.

European wildfires are increasing and pose cross-border health risks