WHO Europe: working to reduce the growing public health threats of extreme heat and wildfires
04 September 2026 by Wendy WINN (DG SANTE, European Commission)According to the European Forest Fire Information System, more than 600 000 hectares of land have been burnt within the countries of the European Union in the first 8 months of 2026. This is below the area recorded by the same date in 2025 (the worst year on record), but it far exceeds the 20-year...