Damage from wildfires in Europe exceeds €3 billion

The damage caused by wildfires and heatwaves that have affected France, Spain, and other European countries has reached €3.1 billion, highlighting the growing scale of losses from fires linked to climate change.

According to Report, the estimate was made by The Financial Times based on data from the European Commission.

"During the first two months of the wildfire season, nearly half a million hectares of land have burned, causing economic damage of €3.1 billion in just the five most affected eurozone countries, including France, Spain, Portugal, Greece, and Romania. This significantly exceeds the European Commission's estimates, according to which the average annual damage for the entire EU amounts to €2.5 billion," the publication noted.

Over the past decade, wildfire damage has exceeded the €3 billion mark only once, in 2021. Last year, the figure stood at around €500 million.