{"id":1926,"date":"2026-06-02T09:30:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T09:30:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cnnglobalnews.com\/2026\/06\/02\/wildfires-devastating-richer-areas-but-fewer-hectares-burned-globally-study\/"},"modified":"2026-06-02T09:30:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T09:30:13","slug":"wildfires-devastating-richer-areas-but-fewer-hectares-burned-globally-study","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/?p=1926","title":{"rendered":"Wildfires devastating richer areas but fewer hectares burned globally \u2013 study"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"border-color:var(--article-border);background-color:var(--article-inner-background)\" class=\"dcr-wqti5a\">\n<div class=\"dcr-2zxs1v\">\n<div style=\"--grid-area:media\" data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tr9ye5\">\n<figure id=\"0ee0828b-4fe4-4409-be73-db0ea205a952\" class=\"dcr-142siv7\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Houses engulfed in flames with a palm tree bending in strong winds and smoke filling the air\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/f87a4a991bfd7e2b6db01ac55cdad9ddbed84626\/683_0_6827_5464\/master\/6827.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"372.1634685806357\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><span class=\"dcr-v822l1\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-gup2gr\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fntg6k\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-1xgwz8b\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1os51wo\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Trees sway in high winds as the Eaton fire rips through Altadena, California, on 8 January last year.<\/span> Photograph: Ethan Swope\/AP<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"0ee0828b-4fe4-4409-be73-db0ea205a952\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-n4pnam\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1hdkqum\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Trees sway in high winds as the Eaton fire rips through Altadena, California, on 8 January last year.<\/span> Photograph: Ethan Swope\/AP<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:border\" data-gu-name=\"border\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:headline\" data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1aqe7zu\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-1k1a1x\">Wildfires devastating richer areas but fewer hectares burned globally \u2013 study<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:standfirst\" data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-15in7js\">\n<p>\u2018Megafires\u2019 in California, Canada, South Korea and Europe in 2025, but changes to farming slowed spread in parts of Africa<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:body\" data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-kn9unn\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1a4fred\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-ydnaza\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-1c9t5u6\">\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cDevastating\u201d wildfires ripped across the wealthier parts of the world in 2025, a study has found, even as globally, the area ravaged by flames fell.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Catastrophic blazes claimed lives, homes and jobs last year in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/california\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">California<\/a>, Canada, Europe and South Korea. But the 335m hectares burned was the second-lowest since 2002, the review found, largely owing to the expansion of African farms that have fragmented landscapes and hampered the spread of large savannah fires.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The disasters in 2025 included <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/uk-news\/2025\/apr\/05\/firefighters-tackle-wildfire-spreading-over-large-forest-area-in-scotland\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">a Scottish \u201cmegafire\u201d<\/a> that torched more than 100,000 hectares \u2013 contributing to the UK breaking its record for burned area \u2013 and the Palisades and Eaton fires in Los Angeles, which were among the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/series\/los-angeles-wildfires-one-year-later\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">most destructive in US history<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2025\/aug\/18\/wildfires-spain-portugal-heat-extreme-temperatures-southern-europe\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Record-breaking blazes in Spain and Portugal<\/a> burned more than half a million hectares, while <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2025\/mar\/27\/south-korea-fires-death-toll-rises-worst-in-history\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">South Korea had its biggest and deadliest wildfire season<\/a> on record.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Fires accounted for more than 38% of insured losses from weather disasters in 2025, the study found.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201c2025 shows that a \u2018quiet\u2019 fire year globally can still be devastating,\u201d said Matthew Jones, a climate scientist at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/education\/universityofeastanglia\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">University of East Anglia<\/a> and lead author of the study. \u201cWe are seeing a growing disconnect between total area burned and real-world impacts.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"8eab59d7-ef3f-4b81-8a61-a1eaa18d43ae\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\">\n<div id=\"img-2\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Wildfire on hills at night\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/79bef9c129cb4a43545e56fad323cf13246d0abb\/0_120_1600_960\/master\/1600.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"267\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><a href=\"#img-2\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"8eab59d7-ef3f-4b81-8a61-a1eaa18d43ae\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-fd61eq\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">A wildfire roars through Galloway forest park in Scotland on 7 April last year.  <\/span> Photograph: Galloway mountain rescue team\/PA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Changes in land use mean wildfires burn less of the planet than they have historically done, but global heating is creating conditions allowing them to spread, increasing the danger at what researchers call the wildland-urban interface, where people are most at risk.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Adverse weather, inflamed by carbon pollution, turned some of last year\u2019s fires into explosive infernos.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">In southern California and South Korea, the researchers found, high winds and dry vegetation pushed fires through densely populated areas, causing \u201cexceptional mortality, mass evacuations, and major infrastructure losses\u201d. In the Mediterranean, meanwhile, drought and extreme heat drove severe blazes, from Portugal to Turkey.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cThese conditions do not cause the fires, but in the event of a fire, we have material that is more flammable than usual \u2013 because it is drier \u2013 and wind conditions that fan the flames,\u201d said David Garcia, an applied mathematician at the University of Alicante, who was not involved in the study. \u201cThis makes large fires more likely to occur.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"f8550e90-bb19-40b3-9d83-21d4020a3f34\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\">\n<div id=\"img-3\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Church spire with cross with wildfire roaring through trees at night\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/f7a21beeaf2fca12626292e7b5c7d62362da299f\/374_0_5000_4000\/master\/5000.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"356\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><a href=\"#img-3\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"f8550e90-bb19-40b3-9d83-21d4020a3f34\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-fd61eq\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Strong winds drive a wildfire towards a church in the city of Andong, South Korea, on 25 March 2025. <\/span> Photograph: Anadolu\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">An <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/environment\/2025\/sep\/04\/spain-portugal-wildfire-weather-climate-crisis-study\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">attribution study Garcia co-authored<\/a> last year found the extreme weather fuelling the flames in Portugal and Spain last year was made 39 times more likely by climate breakdown. \u201cIf we continue to warm the planet, large-scale fires will continue to increase,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The overall reduction in global burned area led to a drop in carbon dioxide emissions to their third-lowest level on record.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">In Canada, though, extreme wildfire emissions were recorded for the third year in a row. Since 2023, boreal forests in North America have emitted close to 4bn tonnes of CO<sub class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">2<\/sub>, exceeding the total emissions of the preceding 15-year period.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"755e919c-4bf3-42e6-85dd-72eb35bad7c3\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\">\n<div id=\"img-4\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Woman walking along road looking distressed with red sky behind her \" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/718b25715d1cf51eef3495a75c16e4625bf5b23b\/0_0_3752_3001\/master\/3752.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"355.92883795309166\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><a href=\"#img-4\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"755e919c-4bf3-42e6-85dd-72eb35bad7c3\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-fd61eq\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">A woman walks through the smoke of a forest fire in Macieira, Portugal, on 25 August last year, which spread throughout the Viseu district. <\/span> Photograph: Pedro Sarmento Costa\/EPA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">As well as heating the planet, the pollutants in wildfire smoke lead to huge numbers of people dying from breathing dirty air. The toxic particles spewed by Canadian wildfires in 2023 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/environment\/2025\/sep\/10\/smoke-from-canadas-wildfires-killed-nine-year-old-carter-vigh-and-82000-others-around-the-world\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">killed 82,000 people<\/a>, according to a study published in September, with smoke even choking cities in the US, Europe and Africa.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Adri\u00e1n Regos, a landscape ecologist at the Biological Mission of Galicia, Spain, who was not involved in the study, said last year\u2019s events illustrated how a relatively small number of extreme fires could dominate the ecological, social and economic consequences of an entire fire season.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"8d1a90bd-0011-4355-ab19-fc5c9cb5abe2\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\">\n<div id=\"img-5\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A wildfire burns through trees on Mount Underwood  \" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/2bf1ceda7fc9497da726ff7d9529c99815eeaaa4\/144_0_4320_3456\/master\/4320.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"356\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><a href=\"#img-5\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"8d1a90bd-0011-4355-ab19-fc5c9cb5abe2\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-fd61eq\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\"> A wildfire burns on Mount Underwood near Port Alberni, on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, on 12 August 2025.  <\/span> Photograph: Colby Rex O\u2019Neill\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cThe broader pattern highlighted by this study is consistent with what we are observing across southern Europe: while total burned area may fluctuate from year to year, climate change is increasing the likelihood of extreme fire-weather conditions, and fuel accumulation associated with rural abandonment is making many landscapes more vulnerable to large, fast-moving fires,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cThe challenge is therefore not only reducing the number of fires, but increasing the resilience of landscapes and communities to extreme events.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-qxqnsy\"><span class=\"dcr-1rq3vad\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-1dzx48f\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-1rrvs2w\">\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/world\/wildfires\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Wildfires<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/world\/extreme-weather\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Extreme weather<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/environment\/air-pollution\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Air pollution<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/environment\/climate-crisis\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Climate crisis<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/environment\/pollution\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Pollution<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/world\/europe-news\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Europe<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/california\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">California<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/tone\/news\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">news<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-nu129i\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=Wildfires%20devastating%20richer%20areas%20but%20fewer%20hectares%20burned%20globally%20%E2%80%93%20study&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2026\/jun\/01\/wildfires-devastating-richer-areas-but-fewer-hectares-burned-globally-study?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-125qj9d\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-zhx6xs\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fworld%2F2026%2Fjun%2F01%2Fwildfires-devastating-richer-areas-but-fewer-hectares-burned-globally-study&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=world\/2026\/jun\/01\/wildfires-devastating-richer-areas-but-fewer-hectares-burned-globally-study\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-14rjinq\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:right-column\" data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-1h2hraq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tn16h9\">\n<section class=\"dcr-1hko8ef\"><\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trees sway in high winds as the Eaton fire rips through Altadena, California, on 8 January last year. Photograph: Ethan Swope\/AP View image in fullscreen Trees sway in high winds &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/?p=1926\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":1927,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1926","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1926","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1926"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1926\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1926"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1926"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1926"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}