Climate change made this summer’s wildfires in Turkey, Greece, and Cyprus burn more intensely, according to a new study released Thursday. The fires killed 20 people, forced 80,000 to evacuate, and destroyed over 1 million hectares (2.47 million acres), Europe’s worst wildfire year on record.
The study by World Weather Attribution found the fires were 22% stronger in 2025 due to extreme heat, low rainfall, and strong winds. Theodore Keeping of Imperial College London said hotter, drier conditions are pushing firefighters to their limits, and without faster action to cut fossil fuel use, global warming could reach 3 degrees Celsius this century.
Researchers also found winter rainfall has dropped 14% since the pre-industrial era, and weeklong hot, dry periods that make vegetation more flammable are now 13 times more likely. Stronger northerly Etesian winds fanned the blazes, a pattern firefighters can no longer rely on to subside.
Experts said climate change is making Mediterranean wildfires more frequent and severe, “loading the dice for more bad wildfire seasons.”