Greece wildfires release record 1 megatone of Carbon Emissions

Jul 27, 2023

Wildfires in Greece released a record 1 megaton of carbon emissions between July 1 and July 25, 2023, the EU Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service said.

That was nearly double the previous July 2007 record, with the smoke plumes fouling air quality in regions downwind.

The intense wildfires burning in Greece since 17 July have quickly become the worst recorded since at least 2003 for the month of July. Data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service’s (CAMS) Global Fire Assimilation System show that the wildfire emissions for Greece overall increased quickly on 17 July, with a Total Fire Radiative Power (red bars) very high compared to the average of the previous 20 years (grey bars).Daily Total Fire Radiative Fire for July in GreeceThe largest wildfires started by that date west of Athens and the island of Rhodes, forcing nearly 20,000 people to evacuate, in what’s considered the largest evacuation from a wildfire in the country, according to the Ministry of Climate Change and Civil Protection.

Large wildfires erupted also in Attica, near Athens, but there were smaller fires across the country, including Evia and Corfu, coinciding with a record-breaking heatwave in the Mediterranean.

As a result, the CAMS GFAS data show the highest wildfire carbon emissions in July recorded for Greece, by a very large margin, with over 1 megatonne of carbon emitted until 25 July.

“Unfortunately, it is not all that surprising, given the extreme conditions in the region. The observed intensity and estimated emissions show how unusual the scale of the fires have been for July relative to the last 20 years of data that we have from our Global Fire Assimilation System. Our data also shows that the previous highest years (in 2007 and 2021) occurred under heatwave conditions with more fires in August, and we will continue monitoring very closely fire emissions in Greece and around the Mediterranean until the end of the summer.” says Mark Parrington, CAMS Senior Scientist.

In terms of the area burnt, on 22 July the Greek fire season was on pair the highest figures on record, with more than 35,000 hectares burnt, according to the European Forest Fire Information System EFFIS. Areas of Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Turkey and Northern Africa are in “Very Extreme Danger” on the EFFIS’ Fire Danger Forecast.

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The Copernicus programme Sentinel satellites have captured images showing the extent and intensity of the Greek wildfires. This Sentinel-2 satellite image shared by the EU Commission’s Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space DEFIS communications team shows the large scar of the wildfire in Attica on 19 July.wildfire in western Attica

Wildfire in western Attica captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite on 19 July 2023. Credit: European Union. Copernicus Sentinel-2 data. Processed by DEFIS_EU.

Greece is undergoing its longest heatwave on record, according to senior officials and the forecast shows little ease for the coming days so it is expected a further rise in emissions. The CAMS PM2.5 forecast show continued emissions for the coming days, especially in Rhodes.

CAMS global forecastsource: copernicus.eu

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