A report shows that climate changes caused by humans have increased the risk of heatwaves by 40 times, favoring devastating fires in Spain and Portugal.

A study by the World Weather Attribution network highlights that human activities have significantly increased the frequency and intensity of heatwaves, which have led to devastating fires in the Iberian Peninsula. The extremely high temperatures in August caused the deaths of four people in each country and led to the evacuation of thousands. Without human influence, such conditions would occur once every 500 years, not once every 15 years. Additionally, rural exodus has worsened the situation, leaving more flammable land. The fires destroyed over 380,000 hectares in Spain and 280,000 in Portugal, and the heatwave of August 2025 was the most intense ever recorded.