Since the beginning of the year, forest fires in Europe have released 12.9 megatons of carbon, with the previous records held in 2003 and 2017, when 11.4 megatons of carbon were emitted into the atmosphere.

According to Copernicus, the new emissions record was primarily due to the forest fires that ravaged the Iberian Peninsula in mid-August.

Mainland Portugal was affected this summer by large rural and forest fires in the North and Central regions.

The fires caused four deaths, including a firefighter, and several injuries, and completely or partially destroyed first and second homes, as well as farms, livestock, and forests. The year 2025 is the third worst ever in terms of burned area as of August 31st, with 254,000 hectares, according to the Integrated Rural Fire Management System.

In Spain, fires have caused four deaths and burned more than 350,000 hectares.

According to Copernicus, emissions from fires in Spain and Portugal alone account for about three-quarters of the European total for the current year.

In the Iberian Peninsula, emissions, which were below average until early August, increased significantly in just one week that same month.

Scientists link global warming, caused by human activity, to more intense and frequent wildfires, which, in a vicious cycle, trigger pollutant emissions responsible for rising global temperatures.