Europe records highest wildfire carbon emissions on record in 2025

European wildfire emissions have surged to record levels in 2025, according to data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS). The combined carbon emissions from wildfires across the European Union and the United Kingdom are estimated at nearly 13 megatonnes, marking the highest annual total since monitoring began. The spike in emissions follows a devastating wildfire season — particularly severe on the Iberian Peninsula, where persistent heatwaves, extreme dryness, and strong winds triggered widespread fires. Smoke from the blazes spread across Europe, pushing concentrations of harmful fine particulates (PM2.5) and other pollutants well beyond safe limits in many regions, posing serious risks to air quality and public health. Beyond carbon, the fires have wrought extensive environmental damage: huge areas of forest and land have burned — in some countries more than a million hectares so far this year — altering habitats, increasing soil erosion, and amplifying the risks of future droughts and biodiversity loss. The tragic outcome underscores how climate change — through hotter summers, drier conditions and more frequent heatwaves — is intensifying wildfire risks in Europe. Experts warn that without significant mitigation, adaptation, and improved forest-management efforts, such disaster seasons may become the new norm.