Record heat waves are becoming more and more dreadful, creating conditions conducive to fire outbreaks. During the 2022 summer season, devastating fires have particularly affected Spain, Portugal, France, Algeria, Greece, Sicily, the Italian Peninsula and California.
In the European Union, more than 700 000 hectares of forest have gone up in smoke since 1 January 2022. By mid-August 2022, the number of fires has reached 2 300, far more than the average of 1 349 fires recorded annually during the period 2006-2021. All Western European countries have been affected, particularly Spain, France and Portugal, the latter having seen 1% of its territory ravaged by flames.
On the other side of the Mediterranean, Algeria has faced more than 150 forest fires. The August official toll is 37 dead, over 200 injured and the destruction of 800 hectares of forest and 1 800 hectares of coppice.
California, in persistent drought for two decades, is hit every summer by major forest fires. Due to global warming, the fire season now lasts several months and ravages large areas. Two major events marked the 2022 season: the "McKinney" fire, which destroyed more than 20 638 hectares, and the "Oak Fire", which ravaged 7 200 hectares of vegetation, destroying 41 homes.
Given global warming [4], the planet will experience more episodes of extreme heat with more severe and recurrent periods of drought, warns the French Federation of Insurance Companies (FFSA) now called "France Assureurs".
Fires and forest fires: the case of France
During the summer of 2022, France experienced the "summer of all extremes": forest fires, hail, storms, drought and floods. Insurers have had to deal with a succession of climatic disasters of unprecedented magnitude within a period of a few months. These hazards are likely to be very costly for insurance companies.
According to France Assureurs, at the end of September 2022, the insured losses have already reached a record of 5.2 billion EUR (5 billion USD), an amount well beyond the annual average of 3.5 billion EUR (3.9 billion USD) over the 2017-2021 period.
The drought episodes of 2022 alone have caused nearly 2.4 billion EUR (2.3 billion USD) of insured losses to buildings.
For the period 2020-2050, the federation is forecasting an increase in losses caused by heat waves [5] and drought at 43 billion EUR (42 billion USD). This amount is three times higher than the 13.8 billion EUR (13.5 billion USD) of losses recorded during the 1989-2019 period.