Wildfires burnt more than one million hectares across Europe in 2025, an area larger than Cyprus and the biggest annual total on record, as the continent shattered climate records for heat, sea temperatures and drought, the World Meteorological Organisation and EU scientists said on Wednesday.
At least 95% of Europe recorded above-average temperatures during the year, the WMO and the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service said in their annual report on Europe’s climate.
Europe’s overall sea surface temperature hit an annual record high, and 86% of the region suffered strong marine heatwaves. More than half of Europe was hit by drought conditions in May 2025, and the year overall was one of the three driest for soil moisture since 1992.
Samantha Burgess, strategic lead at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, said the report showed that climate change is not a future threat but a present reality. “The pace of climate change demands more urgent action,” she said.
The findings come as some governments seek to weaken emissions-cutting policies over economic concerns. The European Union has vowed to stick to its green goals but weakened some climate rules for cars and companies last year after pressure from industry.
The WMO and Copernicus also flagged concern about changes in Europe’s coldest regions, where snow and ice cover helps slow climate change by reflecting sunlight back into space, a phenomenon known as the albedo effect. Warmer temperatures that cause more melting reduce this effect and add to sea level rise.
Sub-Arctic Norway, Sweden and Finland experienced their heaviest heatwave on record last July, lasting three consecutive weeks, with temperatures inside the Arctic Circle breaching 30 degrees Celsius. Iceland recorded its second-largest glacier loss since records began, the report said.
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