Climate Crisis Driving Extreme Wildfires Across the Globe

We’ve all seen the harrowing images — thick plumes of smoke rising from the Amazon, Spanish firefighters battling raging flames across farmland, blackened celebrity homes in Los Angeles, and smouldering regional towns in Australia.

If it felt like wildfires were worse than ever over the past year, you’re not imagining it. A new international report reveals that climate change has intensified wildfires across the globe, making them more unpredictable and destructive.

According to the study, human-driven climate change increased the area burned by fires — or “bushfires” in Australia — by up to 30 times in some regions. Using satellite data and advanced modelling, researchers found that global heating has both fueled more fire-prone weather and changed how vegetation grows and dries, creating vast amounts of combustible material.

Last year alone, wildfires scorched an area larger than India — around 3.7 million square kilometres — affecting more than 100 million people and putting $215 billion worth of homes and infrastructure at risk.

In the United States, wildfires in Los Angeles were found to be twice as likely and 25 times larger than they would have been in a pre-industrial climate. In South America, record-breaking fires in the Amazon and the Pantanal-Chiquitano region burned areas up to 35 times larger due to global warming, releasing billions of tonnes of carbon dioxide.

Meanwhile, Australia saw over 1,000 large fires, with Western Australia alone losing 470,000 hectares and the Grampians National Park in Victoria losing two-thirds of its area.

Globally, wildfires emitted over 8 billion tonnes of CO₂ in 2024–25 — about 10% higher than the long-term average. That excess alone exceeded the annual fossil fuel emissions of more than 200 countries.

The authors warn that without steep and immediate cuts to greenhouse gas emissions, heatwaves and droughts will continue to drive larger, more intense fires. They call for urgent action ahead of COP30 in Belem, Brazil, urging developed nations to lead with rapid emissions reductions this decade.

“The evidence is clear — climate change is making fires worse,” the report concludes. “It’s not too late to act, but the window to prevent catastrophic fire seasons is closing fast.”