LONDON, 19 Sept. - (ANA) - The proportion of Africa’s landmass burnt by wildfires in 2024, some 7.3 per cent of Africa’s landmass was burnt, compared to just 0.6 per cent in both Europe and the US, according to satellite data from the Global Wildfire Information System. 

 

That’s compared to just 0.6% of land in both Europe and the US, where the subject draws much more news coverage, reported The Independent. 

 

DR Congo, Madagascar, and South Africa recorded some of the worst wildfires this year on the continent, where fire-fighting efforts have been hit by cuts to foreign aid programs. 

 

Unlike European countries that share resources to tackle increasingly extreme blazes, limited government budgets mean most African countries, with the exception of South Africa and Morocco, cannot offer similar arrangements.   

 

Extreme weather led to an estimated €43 billion (£37 billion) in short-term losses across the EU, according to new research, – while the particularly devastating wildfires seen in Spain and Portugal were 40 times more likely due to to the climate crisis, according to the analysis from Imperial College London. 

 

The EU is taking serious action to address this new climate reality, with the “EU Civil Protection Mechanism” – essentially an international fire-fighting force that includes 22 firefighting airplanes and some 600 ground fire fighters – called upon by countries including Greece, Spain, Bulgaria, and Albania this summer. 

 

While Western countries are amping up their support for each other in the face of climate-driven blazes, the foreign aid programmes that support fire-fighting efforts in African countries have been slashed this year, with experts warning that this could have devastating impacts on wildfire-prone nations. 

 

The fact that only 40 per cent of African nations have access to hazard early warning systems, which alert people to impending natural disasters, only enhances the threat posed by fires, as does the chaotic nature of housebuilding in many African cities.  - (ANA) - 

 

AB/ANA/19 September 2025 - - -