Study: Climate change exacerbates European wildfires and doubles the conditions conducive to their ignition - Sarmad

A recent scientific study confirmed that climate change caused by human activities has significantly increased the likelihood and spread of forest fires in several European countries, as the continent experiences one of the most severe fire seasons in recent years.

The study, conducted by the World Weather Attribution initiative, found that climate change doubled the probability of weather conditions conducive to forest fires in southwestern France, while this probability increased by at least twenty times in central Spain.

According to the study published on the initiative’s website, which focuses on assessing the role of climate change in extreme weather events, the intensity of weather conditions facilitating fire spread increased by up to 50 percent between 2016 and 2025 compared to the reference period of 1981–2010. Additionally, the number of days classified as high-risk rose to approximately 25 days during the summer in the last decade.

The study noted that the simultaneous occurrence of large-scale fires in multiple European countries complicates the coordination of firefighting and emergency response efforts, while also increasing the cost of disaster response and mitigation.

Andrea Reboiro, a German climate scientist involved in preparing the study, stated, “The simultaneous outbreak of forest fires in multiple regions confirms that human-induced climate change not only increases the likelihood of more intense fires but also contributes to their simultaneous occurrence.”

For her part, Claire Barnes, a researcher specializing in extreme weather and climate change at the Centre for Environmental Policy at Imperial College London, considered that the fires affecting Europe provide clear evidence of the escalating impacts of global warming linked to human activities.

Europe is currently experiencing a widespread fire wave that has consumed more than 120,000 hectares of land and forced approximately 300,000 people to evacuate their homes, according to the study.

In France, one fire evolved into what is known as a “firestorm,” generating lightning that sparked new blazes, while fires on the Greek island of Crete resulted in the deaths of three firefighters.