Smoke in the French Sky This Weekend: Cause for Concern?

Portugal faces severe forest fires, causing record-breaking CO2 emissions for September. These fires also affect France, raising concerns about potential consequences.

Major Environmental Crisis in Portugal

For the past week, Portugal has been engulfed in severe forest fires, setting a new September record for CO2 emissions, with impacts reaching as far as France.

The European Union’s Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service confirms these emissions are significantly higher than previous records for this time of year.

Consequences Beyond Borders

The effects of these fires extend beyond Portugal. Smoke plumes, driven by southwestern currents, are expected to reach France this weekend, particularly affecting the west.

According to Copernicus, “The smoke initially spread over the Atlantic but is predicted to move northward across the Iberian Peninsula, through the Bay of Biscay, and towards western France in the coming days.”

Since September 14, 2024, intense wildfires have devastated northern and central Portugal.

This image, captured by our Sentinel-3 satellite on September 17, displays a vast smoke cloud from the wildfires, covering about 100,000 km² over the Atlantic Ocean. pic.twitter.com/2OcAOMlK0s

— Copernicus EU (@CopernicusEU) September 18, 2024

Impact on Air Quality

While no specific warnings have been issued for France, the air quality is expected to be hazier in affected regions. In Portugal, the air quality remains a concern with high levels of carbon emissions and harmful pollutants, including fine particles PM 10 and PM 2.5.

An End in Sight?

Portugal, having already lost five lives and tens of thousands of hectares of vegetation, hopes to control the fires by Thursday, September 19, 2024. However, significant air quality degradation in the north may persist until September 25, 2024.