Report: Vegetation Fires Are Increasingly Frequent and Violent

The pronounced warming brings along other problems as well. Vegetation fires are becoming more frequent and violent. Europe is no exception, with Greece being among the most affected countries. The 2023 vegetation fire season was one of the most severe of this century, according to a report published by the European Commission. Last year, over half a million (504,002) hectares, an area twice the size of Luxembourg, were engulfed by flames, according to a report on Forest Fires in Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa in 2023, compiled by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre. The most challenging years of this century in terms of mapped burned areas by the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) were 2017 (988,427 hectares), 2022 (837,212 hectares), and 2007 (588,388 hectares). According to the report, fires intensified during the summer of 2023, mainly affecting the Mediterranean region, with Greece (near the city of Alexandroupoli) experiencing the largest fire in Europe since the 1980s. Climate change is increasing the frequency of vegetation fires, affecting areas that were not previously considered prone to fires, the report further states. The situation could worsen, according to the report on climate risk assessment in Europe. Preliminary data for the first three months of 2024 show nearly a doubling of the average number of fires, although they did not have a major impact in terms of burned areas. According to the report, vegetation fires produced about 20 megatons of CO2 emissions, equivalent to nearly one-third of the total emissions produced by international aviation in the European Union over the course of a year.