Wildfires, intensified by climate change, made a major contribution to global air pollution in 2024, according to a report released on Friday by the United Nations weather agency.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO), in the fifth edition of its annual Air Quality and Climate Bulletin, highlighted how massive blazes in the Amazon, Canada and Siberia worsened air quality on a vast scale. The report examined the links between climate and air quality, focusing on the impact of fine particulate matter known as PM2.5.
Wildfires release high levels of aerosols, tiny particles that penetrate deep into the lungs and bloodstream. The WMO said these pollutants are expected to increase as global warming accelerates, threatening human health, ecosystems and infrastructure.
The bulletin revealed that Canada, Siberia and central Africa recorded above-average PM2.5 levels in 2024, while the Amazon basin suffered the sharpest surge. Record-breaking fires in the western Amazon and drought-driven blazes in northern South America degraded air quality across large areas, including Brazil’s most densely populated cities.
Canadian wildfires also caused measurable pollution in Europe, underlining how air quality can deteriorate across continents when wind and weather conditions align.
WMO scientific officer Lorenzo Labrador told reporters that the fires released a toxic mix of pollutants, calling it a “witches’ brew” with wide-ranging health impacts. He added that both last year and this year had seen wildfire smoke travelling thousands of kilometres.
The report also noted some positive developments, including sustained reductions in particle pollution in Eastern China. However, the WMO warned that record wildfires in southern Europe in 2025 have already contributed to worsening pollution across the continent.
The World Health Organization estimates that ambient air pollution is responsible for 4.5 million premature deaths annually, underscoring the urgency of stronger global action.
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