Latest news with #EuropeanEnvironmentalAgency
Time of India
3 days ago
- Climate
- Time of India
A cruel summer as record wildfires scorch Europe
A cruel summer as record wildfires scorch Europe Wildfires continue to burn across the south of Europe amid record-breaking summer heatwaves in many fire-prone regions. In some places, these fires have been exacerbated by wet spring months, which have helped vegetation growth capable of catching alight with ease during a dry summer. Already, an area equivalent to 1.5 times the size of Luxembourg — roughly 438,568 hectares — has burned across Europe in 2025. That figure is almost three times the size of fire damaged caused up to the same point in 2024. It comes as some parts of southern Europe suffer through multiple 40-degree (104 Fahrenheit) days, and prolonged heatwaves lasting a fortnight. The current summer has been described as the worst for wildfires in two decades. Where are the fires burning? What is the situation right now? "We're seeing extreme temperatures in large parts of Europe, records being broken of 40 degrees in many places," said Julie Berckmans, a climate scientist at the European Environmental Agency. "Southern France, Spain, Greece, Turkey, Belgium, Netherlands, UK, are all hitting high temperatures [and] massive wildfires in Spain, Portugal, France, Greece, Turkey, Albania." In Spain, those fires have burned through an area the size of London already. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Is this legal? Access all TV channels without a subscription! Techno Mag Learn More Undo Portugal is fighting its own fires, with around four thousand firefighters currently active across seven active sites. It has also been forced to request help from the European Union's firefighting forces. An even greater number of firefighters has been mobilized in Greece, which is battling 20 blazes during this peak fire season. Deaths have occurred in Spain, Portugal, Montenegro and Italy from fires and heat-related events this summer. It has been a severe fire season Europe uses data from its Copernicus satellite fleet to monitor fire activity, and collates the data via the European Forest Fires Information System (EFFIS). A substantial amount of fire damage in 2025 has already occured. More than 250,000 hectares more of land has burnt than the same time in 2024. There have more than 1,600 fires across Europe, compared to just under 1,100 last year. And new regions are also experiencing greater than usual fire activity. Spain, for instance, has seen twice as much of its territory burned-through compared to the 2006-2024 average. Romania has lost four times as much land to fires this year. Cyprus has been badly impacted. It could usually expect to see around 0.32% of its landmass burned each year. Already in 2025 it's 2.5% — nearly eight times more. But it's also the number of fires that is concerning. France has had nearly three times as many fires as average amid what has been the worst wildfire season for its southern regions in decades. More to come... The fallout of severe wildfires goes beyond land loss or human fatalities. Damage to ecosystems through vegetation loss, health impacts through smoke inhalation, and economic decline are all consequences of widespread fire events. "It's about €2.5 billion [$2.9 billion] of damage lost every year in the EU," Berckmans told DW. "45,000 people on average were displaced due to wildfires from 2008 to 2023." The European Environment Agency's first climate risk assessment, published in 2024, found that urgent action is required to address the critical risk wildfires will pose to populations and infastructure and biodiversity in southern Europe. "Wildfires are an urgent risk to address," said Berckmans. "It's also a major risk that needs more action now in the rest of Europe." As European fall approaches, the number of fires and the damage they cause should slow. However forecasting the length of fire danger season, and the behavior of fires themselves, is becoming more difficult. Climate change will not only generate warmer and drier conditions across southern Europe, it will also begin to change other dynamic factors. Faster and more volatile wind systems, for instance, will increase the challenge for fire management personnel to predict how blazes will behave. That puts the lives of emergency workers and civilians at greater risk. "Picture a fire so fierce, so fast, and so unpredictable it seems alive, capable of reshaping the weather around it and leaping across kilometers in a heartbeat," said Antonio Lopez, an expert in wildfires at the University of Seville, Spain.
DW
4 days ago
- Climate
- DW
A cruel summer as record wildfires scorch Europe – DW – 08/15/2025
Wildfires continue to test firefighters and locals across Europe as droughts and heatwaves turn regions into tinderboxes. The data for 2025 alone is a sign of things to come. Wildfires continue to burn across the south of Europe amid record-breaking summer heatwaves in many fire-prone regions. In some places, these fires have been exacerbated by wet spring months, which have helped vegetation growth capable of catching alight with ease during a dry summer. Already, an area equivalent to 1.5 times the size of Luxembourg — roughly 438,568 hectares — has burned across Europe in 2025. That figure is almost three times the size of fire damaged caused up to the same point in 2024. It comes as some parts of southern Europe suffer through multiple 40-degree (104 Fahrenheit) days, and prolonged heatwaves lasting a fortnight. The current summer has been described as the worst for wildfires in two decades. "We're seeing extreme temperatures in large parts of Europe, records being broken of 40 degrees in many places," said Julie Berckmans, a climate scientist at the European Environmental Agency. "Southern France, Spain, Greece, Turkey, Belgium, Netherlands, UK, are all hitting high temperatures [and] massive wildfires in Spain, Portugal, France, Greece, Turkey, Albania." In Spain, those fires have burned through an area the size of London already. Portugal is fighting its own fires, with around four thousand firefighters currently active across seven active sites. It has also been forced to request help from the European Union's firefighting forces. An even greater number of firefighters has been mobilized in Greece, which is battling 20 blazes during this peak fire season. Deaths have occurred in Spain, Montenegro and Italy from fires and heat-related events this summer. Europe uses data from its Copernicus satellite fleet to monitor fire activity, and collates the data via the European Forest Fires Information System (EFFIS). A substantial amount of fire damage in 2025 has already occured. More than 250,000 hectares more of land has burnt than the same time in 2024. There have more than 1,600 fires across Europe, compared to just under 1,100 last year. And new regions are also experiencing greater than usual fire activity. Spain, for instance, has seen twice as much of its territory burned-through compared to the 2006-2024 average. Romania has lost four times as much land to fires this year. Cyprus has been badly impacted. It could usually expect to see around 0.32% of its landmass burned each year. Already in 2025 it's 2.5% — nearly eight times more. But it's also the number of fires that is concerning. France has had nearly three times as many fires as average amid what has been the worst wildfire season for its southern regions in decades. The fallout of severe wildfires goes beyond land loss or human fatalities. Damage to ecosystems through vegetation loss, health impacts through smoke inhalation, and economic decline are all consequences of widespread fire events. "It's about €2.5 billion [$2.9 billion] of damage lost every year in the EU," Berckmans told DW. "45,000 people on average were displaced due to wildfires from 2008 to 2023." The European Environment Agency's first climate risk assessment, published in 2024, found that urgent action is required to address the critical risk wildfires will pose to populations and infastructure and biodiversity in southern Europe. "Wildfires are an urgent risk to address," said Berckmans. "It's also a major risk that needs more action now in the rest of Europe." To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video As European fall approaches, the number of fires and the damage they cause should slow. However forecasting the length of fire danger season, and the behavior of fires themselves, is becoming more difficult. Climate change will not only generate warmer and drier conditions across southern Europe, it will also begin to change other dynamic factors. Faster and more volatile wind systems, for instance, will increase the challenge for fire management personnel to predict how blazes will behave. That puts the lives of emergency workers and civilians at greater risk. "Picture a fire so fierce, so fast, and so unpredictable it seems alive, capable of reshaping the weather around it and leaping across kilometers in a heartbeat," said Antonio Lopez, an expert in wildfires at the University of Seville, Spain.
Korea Herald
03-03-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
EU set to miss 2030 pollution reduction targets, data shows
The European Union is set to miss several of its own 2030 pollution reduction targets, as a report published on Monday by the European Environmental Agency shows. Despite progress in reducing air pollution, pesticide use and plastic waste at sea, "much stronger action is necessary" to reach targets set for reducing noise, microplastic releases into the environment, nutrient pollution and waste generation, a press release said. "European citizens want clean air, water and soil and safe chemicals so that their health and their environment are protected," said EU Environment Commissioner Jessika Roswall. "Only timely and ambitious delivery of our policies will allow us to create a better living environment for all," she added. The share of people chronically disturbed by transport noise is to be reduced by 30 percent by 2030 according to the EU's goals, however, a 2 percent reduction has been achieved since 2017. Residual municipal waste is to be halved and has dropped by 1.5 percent since 2018. The release of microplastics into the environment has risen by about 7 percent to 9 percent since 2016, instead of going down by 30 percent by 2030. "Action to curb consumption and to reduce waste – which are the ultimate drivers of environmental pressures – and to promote a circular economy is crucial if we are to make progress towards our goals," said Leena Yla-Mononen, the EEA's executive director. The 2030 targets are part of the EU's ambition to reduce pollution so that it no longer poses a risk to human health and the environment by 2050. (DPA-Yonhap)
Korea Herald
03-03-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
EU set to miss 2030 pollution reduction targets, data shows
The European Union is set to miss several of its own 2030 pollution reduction targets, as a report published on Monday by the European Environmental Agency shows. Despite progress in reducing air pollution, pesticide use and plastic waste at sea, "much stronger action is necessary" to reach targets set for reducing noise, microplastic releases into the environment, nutrient pollution and waste generation, a press release said. "European citizens want clean air, water and soil and safe chemicals so that their health and their environment are protected," said EU Environment Commissioner Jessika Roswall. "Only timely and ambitious delivery of our policies will allow us to create a better living environment for all," she added. The share of people chronically disturbed by transport noise is to be reduced by 30 percent by 2030 according to the EU's goals, however, a 2 percent reduction has been achieved since 2017. Residual municipal waste is to be halved and has dropped by 1.5 percent since 2018. The release of microplastics into the environment has risen by about 7 percent to 9 percent since 2016, instead of going down by 30 percent by 2030. "Action to curb consumption and to reduce waste – which are the ultimate drivers of environmental pressures – and to promote a circular economy is crucial if we are to make progress towards our goals," said Leena Yla-Mononen, the EEA's executive director. The 2030 targets are part of the EU's ambition to reduce pollution so that it no longer poses a risk to human health and the environment by 2050. (DPA-Yonhap)
