Large forest and grassland fires are one of the most dramatic consequences of the ongoing climate catastrophe. Year after year, media coverage of fires ravaging Canada, Australia, Greece or Portugal is increasing; rising temperatures, however, mean that the threat is growing in many areas of the world – including Central Europe.

The Greek region of Evros, devastated by fires last summer, is also the external border of the EU: there is a strong temptation to blame the fires on the migrants who cross it. Experts, however, point out the responsibilities of the Greek institutions.

When talking about fires we typically imagine a terrifying and catastrophic event. But the use of controlled fires is once again becoming common practice in Europe: together with livestock grazing, it is looking like an essential and economical technique that can prevent genuinely catastrophic fires.

Portugal is Europe's third largest producer of wood pulp, an industry that relies heavily on the eucalyptus tree. In 2017, a devastating fire in Pedrogrão Grande ignited a debate on the industry's responsibility to prevent such disasters. In particular, the issue of biodiversity was brought back to centre stage. Reportage.

The high number of highly flammable spruce monocultures in Czechia is mainly due to conservative forestry and poorly framed legislation. But while the climate is already shifting, the laws that are holding back forest conversion have remained unchanged on the books for decades.

Despite decades of targeted financial support, the differences in training and equipment across Europe make cooperation challenging and often inefficient.

A new EU agricultural policy has brought a qualitative change in forest-fire protection. Governments will now spend twice as much as before on measures such as reforestation to reduce soil drying.

Fires destroy ecosystems, and the harm is multiplied when protected areas are involved. More than a quarter of all Natura 2000 sites burned in 2021 were located in Italy.

A little-known effect of wildfires is that they weaken the soil, leaving it more vulnerable to rain-related disasters. It is a vicious circle for a country like Italy, which is exposed to both.

In each of the past 12 years, there have been at least 2,600 wildfires in Hungary. The immediate cause is almost always human negligence, but global warming and agricultural methods are to blame as well.

Since 1971, the share of Europe that experiences high or higher weather risk has risen from 20% to almost 40%. But there are big differences between countries.

In the fourth part of the "Romania is burning" series, we explain how the emptying of Romanian villages has unforeseen consequences. Where there is no more work, farmlands burn – taking with them forests and protected wildlife.