health
Wildfires devastating richer areas but fewer hectares burned globally
‘Megafires’ in California, Canada, South Korea and Europe in 2025, but changes to farming slowed spread in parts of Africa
TL;DR
- Wealthier parts of the world experienced devastating wildfires in 2025, including in California, Canada, Europe, and South Korea.
- Globally, the area ravaged by flames fell to the second-lowest since 2002, partly due to expanded African farms fragmenting landscapes.
- The UK broke its record for burned area with a Scottish 'megafire', while Los Angeles saw some of its most destructive fires.
- Record-breaking blazes in Spain and Portugal, and South Korea's biggest wildfire season on record also occurred.
- Fires accounted for over 38% of insured losses from weather disasters in 2025.
- Global heating is creating conditions that increase fire spread and danger at the wildland-urban interface.
- Adverse weather, exacerbated by carbon pollution, turned some fires into explosive infernos.
- Drought and extreme heat drove severe blazes in the Mediterranean.
- The overall reduction in global burned area led to a drop in carbon dioxide emissions.
- Canada recorded extreme wildfire emissions for the third consecutive year, with significant CO2 release since 2023.
- Pollutants in wildfire smoke lead to widespread deaths from breathing dirty air, with Canadian wildfires in 2023 killing an estimated 82,000 people.
- A few extreme fires can dominate the consequences of an entire fire season.
- Climate change increases the likelihood of extreme fire-weather conditions, and fuel accumulation makes landscapes more vulnerable.