The massive 2025 wildfires in Spain were not only a disaster for the natural environment, they also triggered CO₂ emissions released into the atmosphere; the same ones that are causing climate change that increases the risk of these extreme fires reappearing. According to data from the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) Copernicus, in 2025 the flames will have generated almost 19 million tonnes of CO₂ in the country, the highest for this reason since at least 2003, when measurements began. To understand the extent of this other collateral damage from the fires, this represents up to 7% of the total emissions emitted by Spain in 2024, according to the national greenhouse gas inventory. Or again, it is equivalent to five times those emitted that year by the national aviation, twice those of the refining industry (which deals with the transformation of oil) or a little less than those of all the buildings in the country (the sum of the residential, commercial and institutional sectors).
“With the tragic fires of August, CO₂ emissions in Spain were the highest generated by fires in European countries and contributed greatly to making 2025 a record year for all of Europe,” comments Laurence Rouil, director of the Copernicus atmospheric monitoring service, who points out that, despite this, emissions from the European continent actually represent only a small part of those generated by fires worldwide, especially when compared to those of Africa. and North America.
When addressing the issue of emissions causing climate change, it is generally emphasized that the primary cause is fossil fuels (oil, coal and gas), also emphasizing the impact of food and, in particular, livestock on the climate. However, forest and agricultural fires often do not receive enough attention.
This source of emissions is very variable. In the case of Spain, this peak in CO₂ comes after devastating fires which burned this year between 351,347 hectares (according to data from the Ministry of Ecological Transition) and 393,048 (according to EFFIS). As Jofre Carnicer, scientist at the Center for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF), explains, “in general, forest fires are not a very important element in the calculation of the country’s emissions. The average emissions caused by fires during the period 2003-2024 is close to five million tonnes, but this year they have multiplied this amount by four, reaching a magnitude similar to that of some important economic sectors, such as electricity production.”
Looking at the planet as a whole, according to Copernicus estimates, global emissions from fires in 2024 were equivalent to 60% of those generated by China – the highest emitting country – or 20% from the energy sector – the most important for climate change. As Rouil points out, in 2025, total emissions from fires will be lower, with particularly low records in Latin America and Asia. However, the focus is once again on Africa, where agricultural burning does not have as large an impact on natural systems, but it does have a very large impact in the form of greenhouse gases.
Looking at the planet as a whole, according to Copernicus estimates, global emissions from fires in 2024 were equivalent to 60% of those generated by China or 20% of the energy sector.
“In 2025, Africa will again be the largest contributor and a large part of the emissions from fires also come from North America,” comments the director of the Copernicus atmospheric monitoring service. “At the beginning of the year, the fires in California stood out, but they are almost marginal compared to those in Canada, which started in the spring and lasted practically all summer, with extremely high emissions.”
As has also been proven this summer in Spain, high temperatures and drought are two fundamental factors in the spread of flames. However, satellite data obtained by Copernicus for more than 20 years do not show a clear trend towards worsening fires or an increase in emissions due to global warming. “It’s shocking, but we can’t say that there is an increase, there is very great variability from one year to the next,” recognizes Rouil.
At this point, Carnicer’s research is interesting. “Even if the statistical series are still limited in Europe to determine the evolution of burned areas, we are seeing a change in the dynamics of fire risk,” defends the CREAF researcher, also author of the Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Climate Change (IPCC). As he explains, it’s happening on a global scale, but where it was first detected was in areas particularly affected by fires, like the southwest United States or Australia. Similarly, one of his 2022 studies, published in Scientific Reports, also found signs of change in Europe, detecting an increase in risk in the north, south and center of the continent.
As the researcher details, this work connects for the first time increased risk of fire due to weather conditions with a very significant increase in CO emissions2 associated with fire. “A few decades ago, this relationship was not observed, but a change has occurred. Today, we observe that there are very extreme years in heat wave and fire risk conditions that empirically result in peaks in CO₂ emissions.”
These high emissions from wildfires make us think about the danger of the strategy of planting trees to remove carbon from the atmosphere, because it serves no purpose if the trees are then burned. “It has always been emphasized in the scientific literature, that mitigation through forest or ecosystem cover is not very resilient,” says Carnicer, who emphasizes that this is precisely why it is essential to prioritize reducing emissions, instead of waiting for them to then be absorbed by the trees.
For her part, the director of the Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service does not consider that the use of forests to combat climate change should be called into question, but rather defends the increase in forestry work to improve fire prevention. Furthermore, Rouil draws attention to the other polluting gases released by fires which do not warm the planet, since not everything is CO₂. “With fire emissions, we also have to think about the impacts in terms of air pollution, because we generate fine particles which can be harmful to health,” he warns. More and more warnings are calling for consideration of toxins in smoke from wildfires, and not just in nearby areas.
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