Wildfire smoke linked to 100,000 deaths annually, WMO says

Smoke from natural wildfires is linked to approximately 100,000 deaths each year, according to a bulletin published by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

The organization said the number of severe wildfires is rising, while toxic smoke poses significant risks to human health.

“Since the 1990s, the number of extreme smoke events caused by fires worldwide has tripled,” the bulletin’s authors said. They estimated that these events contributed to around 100,000 additional deaths annually between 2010 and 2018, while noting that the actual figure could be higher.

WMO experts warned that standard risk assessment models often fail to account for smoke toxicity, potentially resulting in an underestimation of wildfire-related deaths by as much as 93%.

The organization also cautioned that increasing wildfire pollution, combined with rising temperatures, could hinder global efforts to improve air quality.

According to the WMO, hazardous PM2.5 fine-particle concentrations were above average in northern Canada, parts of Russia, and West and Central Africa in 2025. Experts attributed the elevated pollution levels to the growing number of wildfires. Northwestern Spain was also among the regions that experienced severe pollution last year.

Stabil.Az