Overview

• Fires across the EU and UK had released about 12.9 megatonnes of CO2 by September 15, the highest total in the 23-year record.
• The new peak exceeds the previous highs of 11.4 megatonnes recorded in 2003 and 2017.
• Roughly three quarters of the emissions came from August outbreaks in Spain and Portugal, where large areas burned and deaths were reported.
• Significant blazes also affected Turkey, Cyprus and Balkan states, while Canadian fires produced the country's second-highest annual emissions and sent smoke to Western Europe.
• Copernicus noted unusually frequent Saharan dust events and heat-driven ozone exceedances that worsened air quality this summer.