Europe is facing a dual climate emergency, with wildfires sweeping across the continent and a deadly heatwave claiming thousands of lives. By mid-July 2025, more than 230,000 hectares of land had burned across the European Union, 117% above the 19-year average, according to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS).
At the same time, a rapid attribution study confirmed that 1,500 of 2,300 increased deaths during a heatwave in 12 cities in late June were directly caused by human-induced climate change.
These events have unfolded just months after the European State of the Climate 2024 (ESOTC) report warned of intensifying heat, prolonged droughts, and an increasing risk of fires, with these predictions having now been realized.
So far this year, the European Union has recorded 1,118 large wildfires exceeding 30 hectares, compared to 716 during the same period in 2024.
Over 230,000 hectares have been destroyed since January, almost triple last year’s 82,778 hectares over the same period. Meanwhile, total CO₂ emissions have reached 7.44 million tonnes, up from 6.14 million tonnes at this point last year.
At least 10 countries have been affected, with southern and eastern Europe bearing the brunt. The scale of the crisis has prompted widespread evacuations, declarations of emergency, and the deployment of EU civil protection resources.
Across these regions, firefighting efforts have been reinforced by the EU Civil Protection Mechanism ,with nearly 650 firefighters and 26 aircraft pre-positioned across high-risk areas in 10 countries, including France, Greece, Portugal, and Spain.
While southern and eastern Europe are battling flames, western cities are facing a deadlier but invisible threat: lethal heat.
Between June 23 and July 2, a searing heatwave swept through western Europe, resulting in 2,300 increased deaths. A rapid attribution study by Imperial College London and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine found that 1,500 of these deaths – nearly two-thirds – were caused by climate change.
Researchers concluded that greenhouse gas emissions increased regional temperatures by 1–4°C, significantly intensifying the deadliness of the heatwave. Elderly populations were hit the hardest, with 88% of victims being aged 65 or over.
City-specific tolls include 317 deaths in Milan, 286 in Barcelona, 235 in Paris, and hundreds more across Rome, London, Madrid, Athens, and other capital cities.
Researchers warn that if global warming exceeds 3°C by 2100, Europe could face between 68,000 and 94,000 heat-related deaths annually. In contrast, keeping the temperature rise to 1.5°C could limit the toll to around 30,000 per year.
The European State of the Climate 2024 report, released in April by the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, proved remarkably prescient in warning of the crisis now unfolding.
The report depicted a continent that is entering a new climate phase, hotter, drier, and more divided, months before this year’s devastating wildfires and heat-related deaths.
The report found that Europe has been warming at almost double the global rate since the 1980s, making it the fastest-warming continent. Average temperatures climbed 2°C above pre-industrial levels, with almost half of Europe recording all-time highs.
While not predicting the exact scale of this year’s fires, it explicitly warned of lengthening fire seasons and more “extreme fire danger days” – forecasts now playing out months ahead of the September schedule.
Although 47% of the EU’s electricity is now sourced from renewables, just 51% of cities have official climate adaptation strategies, according to the European Environment Agency. Despite progress from 26% in 2018, efforts remain outpaced by the growing severity of the climate crisis.