Extreme weather, intensified by the climate crisis, is driving an explosive wildfire season across Europe and severe rainfall in Asia this summer. Global heating increased the likelihood of hot, dry, and windy conditions that fuel wildfires by at least 20 times in Spain and twice in France.
EU officials have indicated that wildfires may persist until early November, potentially making this a record-breaking year for the area of land burned. Meanwhile, Asia continues to experience unprecedented rainfall, with torrential rain causing landslides in Japan and Vietnam. South Korea is also facing a combination of heatwaves and downpours.
While wildfires directly kill fewer people globally each year compared to floods and heatwaves, smoke inhalation from wildfires is estimated to cause 1.5 million deaths annually worldwide. A study on the Canadian wildfire season three years ago found that over 80,000 people died from smoke inhalation, with 20,000 of these deaths occurring in Europe due to pollution carried across the Atlantic.