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<\/p>\nAs catastrophic wildfires sweep across Southern Europe, WWF warns that the EU is sleepwalking into a permanent wildfire crisis while simultaneously weakening key environmental protections that help safeguard people, economies and nature from climate impacts.<\/p>\n
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For years, scientists and public authorities have warned that Europe would experience longer fire seasons, more simultaneous outbreaks and increasingly severe wildfire events, and these warnings have become bitter reality. In 2026 alone, with more than 460,000 hectares already burned across the EU this year, well above historical averages. Recent studies have demonstrated that climate change made the extreme fire weather that fuelled these wildfires at least twice as likely in France and at least 20 times more likely in Spain.<\/p>\n
Despite this, political efforts in Brussels and Member States are increasingly focused on weakening climate action and environmental safeguards, rather than strengthening the EU\u2019s actions to reduce emissions and enhance climate resilience. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEurope is burning \u2013 but while firefighters are desperately pouring water on the raging wildfires, our leaders are sitting in air-conditioned rooms debating how far they should water down EU climate and nature laws. The real question should be how to strengthen them to avoid future catastrophes,\u201d said Anke Schulmeister\u2011Oldenhove, Manager, Forests at the WWF EU. \u201cEvery hectare burned, every community evacuated and every ecosystem destroyed is a reminder that climate change is not a future threat, but a present-day reality. The worst possible response is to dismantle the very policies designed to cut emissions, build the resilience of natural ecosystems and restore natural defences.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Although most wildfires are triggered by human activity, climate change is dramatically increasing the likelihood, intensity and scale of fires through hotter temperatures, more frequent heatwaves and prolonged droughts. At the same time, deteriorating ecosystems, shrinking wetlands, degraded forests, monoculture plantations and decades of unsustainable land-use decisions have made many parts of Europe more vulnerable to extreme fires. \u00a0<\/p>\n
The result is a vicious cycle: climate change drives more destructive fires; fires release millions of tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions; and weakened ecosystems become less able to absorb carbon, retain water, withstand fires, and protect communities from future disasters.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEurope cannot extinguish its way out of the wildfire crisis. Wildfire policy must move beyond emergency response and towards prevention, resilience and landscape-level planning, as the European Commission has acknowledged in its recent communication. However, this is only possible with stronger implementation of climate and nature legislation and substantial investment in ecosystem restoration and nature-based solutions,\u201d said Edoardo Nevola, Global Fire Community Lead at\u00a0WWF International.\u00a0<\/p>\n
WWF calls for the EU and Member States to:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIf policy-makers continue to treat climate mitigation, adaptation, ecosystem restoration and biodiversity protection as optional, Europe will pay the price every summer,\u201d said Sofia Ghezzi, Policy Officer on Climate and Land Use at WWF EU. \u201cWildfires are not just a forestry issue. They are a climate issue, a biodiversity issue, a water security issue and a public safety issue. Healthy ecosystems and ambitious climate policies are Europe\u2019s first line of defence against escalating disasters. Leaders who weaken them are weakening Europe\u2019s resilience.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n