European forest fires are increasing in scale, causing severe air pollution and climate change impacts across the continent.
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Since the beginning of the year, 353,862 hectares of land have burned in the European Union, significantly exceeding the average area burned over the past 19 years. Forest fires are severely degrading air quality across Europe, with countries like Greece, Spain, France, and Turkey experiencing major incidents. These fires release dangerous pollutants such as fine particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, and ozone, which pose serious health risks, especially to vulnerable populations, and can travel long distances. Furthermore, forest fires contribute to climate change by emitting large amounts of carbon dioxide; the EU has emitted 11.45 million tons of CO2 from fires so far this year. In France, a massive wildfire, the largest in nearly eight decades, has destroyed thousands of hectares, displaced residents, and caused fatalities, with officials attributing the disaster to climate change and drought. Climate change is expected to lead to more frequent, intense, and longer fire seasons across Europe, particularly in the Mediterranean region.
