Intensifying wildfires and heatwaves threaten global air-quality targets, UN agency warns

The World Meteorological Organization’s latest air-quality and climate assessment warns that climate-driven wildfires and heatwaves are eroding advances in reducing atmospheric pollution. While many developed countries have cut emissions from industry and transport, the surge in wildfire-related smoke is delivering high levels of PM2.5 and ground-level ozone, pollutants linked to heart and lung disease. The report notes that 2025 saw above-average PM2.5 concentrations in northern Canada, parts of Russia, western-central Africa, and a hotspot in north-western Spain after late-summer fires.

A cited study indicates that extreme fire-smoke episodes have tripled since the 1990s, possibly causing nearly 100,000 extra deaths between 2010 and 2018. The WMO calls for coordinated climate and air-quality policies, better monitoring of aerosols such as black carbon and microplastics, and acknowledges that extreme heat is becoming more frequent, intense and longer-lasting as the planet warms.