Forest fires and ecological crisis caused by high temperatures in many European countries

On June 9, 2025, southern European countries such as Spain, France, Portugal, and Italy were hit by a rare heat wave, with temperatures exceeding historical extremes in many places, reaching over 40°C in some areas. The high temperatures led to frequent forest fires, which spread rapidly through dry vegetation, releasing large amounts of harmful gases and damaging ecosystems. For example, fires in the forested areas of northern Portugal went out of control, destroying thousands of hectares of forest; fires in Sicily, Italy, forced the emergency evacuation of residents of coastal towns. The EU has launched a transnational emergency response mechanism to coordinate firefighting resources and monitor air quality. Meteorologists have pointed out that the high temperatures are closely related to atmospheric circulation anomalies caused by climate change, and that similar extreme weather is likely to be more frequent in the future.