In 2023, half a million hectares were burned due to forest fires in Europe

2023 was the year of one of the strongest fires since the beginning of the century

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In 2023, forest fires in Europe were among the worst this century. Because of them, half a million hectares burned.

In the future, the situation can only worsen, it says reports European Commission, informs Reuters.

According to researchers, forest fires burned 504,000 hectares last year, which is twice the size of Luxembourg.

The three worst years in the 21st century in terms of the area of ​​burned areas were 2017 (988.4 thousand hectares), 2022 (837.2 thousand hectares) and 2007 (588.3 thousand hectares).

According to the study, fires intensified in the summer of 2023. Mostly, they hit the Mediterranean region. In Greece, near the city of Alexandroupolis, it happened the biggest fire in Europe since the 1980s, more than 96,000 hectares have burned.

An analysis of different types of vegetation showed that 37% of the fires were covered by shrubs and sclerophytes (plants capable of enduring a long drought), while 26% (120 thousand ha) were covered by forests.

The increase in forest fires and their occurrence in regions that were previously considered safe is a consequence of climate change. According to the report on the assessment of European climate risks, the situation may worsen in the future.

Preliminary data for the first three months of 2024 indicate that the average number of fires will almost double. However, they did not have a significant impact in terms of burned areas.

The report also stated that forest fires caused about 20 megatons of CO2 emissions. This is equivalent to almost a third of all emissions from international aviation in the EU in one year.

We will remind, March 2024 became the warmest for the entire history of observations.