As of mid-July 2025, “the most intensive” heatwave to-date in Spain resulted in 1,180 fatalities, according to the Carlos III Health Institute (Reuters). In Türkiye, ten firefighters and rescue workers lost their lives fighting flames and evacuating 50,000 individuals (WWA). The Greek islands, have been plagued by fire, burning half the island of Kythera, the birthplace of Lady of Cythera, otherwise known as Aphrodite (WWA). The Mediterranean warms 20 percent faster than the global average, and as climate change becomes more extreme, vulnerable ecosystems and social structures permit the conditions for catastrophic wildfires (UNEP & Aljazeera).
The EU Civil Protection Mechanism provides resources, knowledge and skills among members and neighboring states. In August, 2025, Spain activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism for the first time (Civil Protection 2). As part of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, RescEU is a strategic reserve with the means to prepare for and combat natural disasters. A “permanent rescEU fleet” is set to base in countries significantly affected during the 2025 season: Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Croatia and Greece, as well as supporting, nearby countries, Slovakia, Czechia and Romania (Civil Protection 1). Another European initiative is the European Forest Fire Information System, an app which multilingually mobilizes present and future dangers (Copernicus).
Research from the World Weather Attribution network deems urbanization a threat to rural and urban society (SD). Properties poorly managed or abandoned in the wildland-urban interfaces (WUI) face severe impact, fueling fire and inflicting challenges with civil protection and fire mitigation (SD). The National Center for Atmospheric Research found a disproportionate increase in WUI fires, as global fire counts and burned areas decrease (NOAA). Despite sustainable urban development efforts, such as building with non-combustible materials, as is traditional in the Mediterranean, the expansion of the WUI remains susceptible to flames (SD).
The European Commission expects urbanization to increase to 83.7% by 2050, abandoning 3% of total agricultural land (K4P). A performance-based analysis by the Civil Protection Mechanism, the WUIVIEW Project, explores risk reduction strategies through a virtual simulation and collaboration among homeowners, local fire risk managers, engineers and architects to achieve fire-resilient WUI communities (WUIVIEW). The project concluded with the proposal of a common EU global framework; one with adaptive, collaborative and empowered communities, fire agencies, practitioners, and researchers (WUIVIEW).
Sources
Civil Protection 1: https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/what/civil-protection/resceu_en
Civil Protection 2: https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/news-stories/news/eu-civil-protection-mechanism-responds-multiple-wildfires-across-continent-2025-08-14_en