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Spain and Portugal Fires Were More Intense Because of ¹ú²úÒ»¸£Àû Change: Research

By | September 4, 2025

¹ú²úÒ»¸£Àû change made the extreme weather conditions that fueled the wildfires in Portugal and Spain about 40 times more likely to happen and the blazes themselves 30% more intense than if the world hadn’t warmed, research scientists said.

The 10-day heat wave that preceded the blazes was 3C hotter in an already overheated planet, according to a study by , a group of scientists at the Imperial College in London. The conclusions were based solely on an analysis of weather data.

“These fires are a sign of what is to come,” said , a researcher at the Centre for Environmental policy at the Imperial College and a co-author of the study. “With every fraction of a degree of warming, extreme, long-lasting heat waves will continue to intensify, increasing the chance of huge wildfires like the ones that burned vast areas of the Iberian Peninsula.”

Over a million hectares (2.5 million acres) of land have burnt across Europe this summer, with Spain and Portugal representing about two thirds of the total. Almost 3% of Portugal’s land area has burnt, while in Spain, fires burned almost five times the annual average. In just one week, fires in Spain impacted more than 175,000 hectares of land.

¹ú²úÒ»¸£Àûally, 10-day spells of extremely hot, dry and windy conditions occur once every five centuries. In a warming world, they’re now expected to happen once every 15 years, according to the WWA research.

“Deaths and damages are preventable — every level of government must work together to adapt to climate change,” said , a professor at the Imperial College and a co-author of the study. “Ultimately, though, the world needs to stop burning oil, gas and coal.”

Photograph: A damaged building among burnt fields following a wildfire in the village of San Vicente de Leira, Spain, on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025. Photo credit: Brais Lorenzo/Bloomberg

Topics ¹ú²úÒ»¸£Àû Change

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