The first Atmosphere Watch examines air pollution during the first eight months of 2026. Nearly 40% of the world's population was exposed to ozone levels classified as extremely high in the analysis.
World Weather Attribution estimated that human-caused warming added about 2°C to Mediterranean extremes and greatly enlarged the affected area. The rapid analysis warns of impacts on species, fisheries, coastal health and heavy rain, while remaining subject to later scientific review.
An elderly couple died on Salamis and more than 500 people were evacuated. In the High Fens, the largest wildfire in Belgium's modern history burned about 3,000 hectares and mobilized ground and aerial resources from several European countries.
Thousands of people were evacuated, three firefighters died in France and Italy, and Spain is nearing 120,000 hectares burned in a season shaped by heat and rising fire risk.
The Guadalajara fire has burned more than 32,000 hectares, forced evacuations across dozens of villages and exposed how extreme heat, dryness and wind are raising wildfire risk across the Mediterranean.