Climate change fueled wildfires in Spain and Portugal

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🗞️ Driving the news: A new scientific analysis has found that climate change made the deadly wildfires in Spain and Portugal this summer 40 times more likely and 30% more intense
• The fires, which scorched over 640,000 hectares of land and killed at least 8 people, were fueled by extreme heat and drought conditions linked directly to the burning of fossil fuels, according to the World Weather Attribution (WWA) network

🔭 The context: The Iberian Peninsula experienced its hottest 10-day stretch on record in late July, followed by weeks of intense wildfires
• Spain and Portugal alone accounted for two-thirds of Europe’s total burned land in 2025
• The region’s fire-prone topography, combined with decades of depopulation and unmanaged vegetation, created conditions ripe for large-scale blazes
• Spain was forced to request international firefighting aid for the first time

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: The findings highlight how even 1.3°C of global warming has drastically increased the severity and frequency of wildfires
• Beyond the loss of life and biodiversity, the fires emitted 38 million tons of CO₂, accelerating climate change further
• Scientists warn that without urgent action to phase out fossil fuels, Europe will face more frequent, catastrophic fire seasons that overwhelm emergency services and devastate ecosystems

⏭️ What's next: Policymakers are under renewed pressure to implement preventive land management practices, such as controlled burns, rewilding, and forest thinning, while phasing out fossil fuels to curb emissions
• The EU is likely to expand disaster response coordination and funding, while nations review resilience strategies for vulnerable rural regions
• The next IPCC report may integrate findings like these to sharpen risk projections under different warming scenarios

💬 One quote: “Wildfires in Europe show that 1.3°C of warming today is already incredibly dangerous. Without a faster shift away from fossil fuels, we could hit 3°C this century,” said Prof. Friederike Otto, climate scientist at Imperial College London

📈 One stat: So far in 2025, Europe has seen over 1 million hectares burned—the highest annual total ever recorded

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