UK Wildfires: A Climate Wake-Up Call from the 2025 Fire Season

When people think of wildfire hotspots, the UK rarely features on the list. But the record-breaking 2025 fire season shattered that assumption. Over 46,000 hectares were scorched—the largest area ever recorded—proving that the UK is not exempt from the global wildfire crisis.

While the blackened landscapes drew headlines, a more insidious consequence went largely unnoticed: the climate cost. These fires unleashed vast amounts of carbon into the atmosphere, feeding a dangerous feedback loop. More carbon emissions fuel climate change, which in turn increases the risk and intensity of wildfires. The 2025 season wasn’t just a statistical outlier—it marked a possible tipping point toward a new, more volatile normal.

Statistics only go so far. To grasp the real impact, it's helpful to put the damage in terms we can relate to—car emissions, household energy use, and public health.

• Carbon emissions equivalent to 890,000 cars:The wildfires released an estimated 1.31 million tonnes of carbon dioxide—comparable to the annual emissions of nearly 890,000 average UK cars.

  
  

• Air pollution rivaling the entire UK road network:Around 9,000 tonnes of fine particulate matter (PM₂.₅) were released—almost equal to the amount produced by all UK road transport in 2023. Wildfire smoke can drift for hundreds of miles, increasing pollution far beyond the burn zones and posing serious health risks to distant communities.

  
  

• Real health consequences:A study showed that just a 1 microgram per cubic metre increase in PM₂.₅ can raise the risk of catching COVID-19 by 4%, increase hospitalisations by 11%, and deaths by 9%. These pollutants don’t just cloud the air—they impact lives.

  
  

One Fire Season, Massive Setbacks

• As much PM₂.₅ as all UK households:The fires generated as much fine particulate matter as the combined emissions from every UK household burning wood, coal, or other solid fuels in 2023—roughly 16% of the nation’s total PM₂.₅ for the year.

  
  

• Carbon output equal to 470,000 heated homes:The CO₂ released was also equivalent to the heating emissions from nearly half a million homes—undermining hard-won progress in clean energy and efficiency elsewhere.

  
  

• Offsetting the damage is monumental:To absorb the carbon released in 2025, over one million new trees would need to be planted. Alternatively, it would take the annual output of hundreds of offshore wind turbines—about half of what's produced by the Hornsea One wind farm.

  
  

This underscores a critical truth: it’s far more effective to prevent wildfires than to try to offset their damage after the fact.

While surface fires are more visible, the greatest climate damage came from beneath our feet. UK peatlands—our largest land-based carbon stores—burned during the 2025 season, releasing carbon that had been locked away for centuries.

In some years, peat fires contribute up to 90% of all wildfire-related emissions in the UK. Once this ancient carbon is released, it’s effectively irreversible on human timescales. The CO₂ from 2025’s fires alone equaled 40–45% of the annual carbon uptake of all healthy UK peat bogs.

In short, our most powerful natural carbon sinks are being transformed into carbon sources, deepening the climate crisis. This is a dangerous new normal.

The 2025 wildfire season delivered a cascade of emergencies:

• Air quality levels that rivalled those of the most polluted cities

• Carbon emissions equivalent to adding 890,000 cars to the roads

• Environmental damage that will take a century to repair

• A reversal of the role of peatlands—from carbon store to carbon emitter

  
  

The emissions were so significant, they effectively created an unplanned “carbon sector” in the UK’s national accounts.

The message from this data is unambiguous: wildfire prevention must become a core element of the UK’s climate policy, which enables controlled burning. Intelligent land management, early warning systems, and investment in fire resilience are no longer optional—they’re essential.

The question isn't whether we should act. It’s how quickly we can adapt to this new climate reality.