Factcheck: No, Europe is not having its ‘quietest’ year for wildfires
Carbon Brief fact-checked claims by climate skeptics that 2026 is the quietest year for European wildfires. The analysis reveals that these claims rely on misleading data that includes Russian territory and agricultural burning, while actual data shows 2026 is one of the worst years on record for the EU.
Why it matters
This highlights the importance of data integrity in climate discourse and the potential for misinformation to influence public perception of environmental crises.
Share In recent days, prominent climate sceptics and rightwing commentators have shared charts on social media incorrectly implying that Europe is having its “quietest” year for wildfires in 2026.
These include Dr Matthew Wielicki , a former University of Alabama geochemist and self-described “professor in exile”, who was recently appointed by the Trump administration to lead the US Global Change Research Program .
However, these charts paint a misleading picture as they are skewed by encompassing the entirety of Russia in the data – including the vast plains of Siberia.
These charts also use data that include fires that are deliberately lit to manage cropland, which is a declining practice across much of Europe.
In this factcheck, Carbon Brief shows that the area burned by wildfires across the European Union in 2026 is second only to 2022 for this time of year.
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