The UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) has called for greater investment in wildfire prevention and climate resilience, warning that increasingly severe fire seasons across Europe and North America highlight the need to focus on long-term risk reduction rather than emergency response alone.
“Every summer reminds us that wildfire is no longer an exceptional event but an increasingly predictable consequence of a warming climate,” said Paola Deda, Director of UNECE’s Environment and Forests Division.
While acknowledging the importance of emergency response, Deda stressed that lasting solutions lie elsewhere.
“Our greatest opportunity lies in prevention, sustainable forest management and building more resilient landscapes and communities,” she said.
According to UNECE, more than 434,000 hectares of land have burned across Europe so far this year. Spain has recorded over 200,000 hectares destroyed by wildfires—more than twice its historical annual average—while fires in France’s Gironde region have consumed about 42,000 hectares of pine forest and forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents and tourists.
The agency also noted that the European Union has warned the wildfire crisis is spreading eastward, with Greece and Italy expected to face heightened risks as heatwaves, drought and strong winds continue into early August.
UNECE said around 90% of wildfires are caused by human activity, whether through negligence or deliberate actions, underscoring the importance of stronger public awareness campaigns, tighter regulations and sustainable forest management practices.
The agency further warned that climate change is lengthening wildfire seasons while increasing the frequency and intensity of fires, creating a vicious cycle in which larger wildfires release greater amounts of greenhouse gases, further accelerating global warming.