"Multiple countries in the Mediterranean region have been battling intense wildfires this summer, including France, Greece, Syria and Turkey. These aggressive, recurring fires suggests a new normal of altered lives, landscapes and economies in the Mediterranean basin."
"After sizzling in an early summer heatwave, large swaths of the Mediterranean region are ablaze.
Parts of southern France, Greece, Turkey, and Syria have been engulfed in flames in the past few weeks. The city of Marseille is still battling an enormous fire that scorched homes on its outskirts and forced the closure of its airport. Flames disrupted the local economies of the Greek islands of Crete and Evia and forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes. Acres of land were left charred in Turkey’s Izmir province, with smoke visible from satellite imagery. And after years of continued political instability, Syria is faced with uncontrollable wildfires that have burned more than three percent of the country's forest cover.
These events are part of a broader pattern. The Mediterranean has always been a fire-prone region due to its hot, dry summers and quickly flammable vegetation. But climate change has significantly amplified the occurrences and severity of wildfire. The European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) said Tuesday that over 214,000 hectares have burned in wildfires across the EU in 2025 so far – more than double the average for this time of year over the past two decades. This escalation is directly linked to climate change, which has made heat-induced wildfires much more likely in the Mediterranean basin."
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