The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), implemented by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), has launched Fire Emissions Watch, a new online application that provides near-real-time access to global fire emissions data.
The tool launches as major wildfires burn across western Europe, exposing millions of people to hazardous air pollution and forcing large-scale evacuations. CAMS data shows that 2026 is shaping up to be one of the most severe wildfire years on record across parts of Europe, with France recording its highest year-to-date fire emissions, exceeding the previous record set in 2022. France’s July carbon emissions reached 0.89 megatonnes of carbon, surpassing the previous record of 0.64 megatonnes.
In July 2026, wildfires in Canada made the largest contribution to global fire emissions, with widespread smoke transportation across the Canadian Arctic, North America and the North Atlantic.
Fire Emissions Watch allows users to explore daily, monthly and year-to-date emissions data, visualize smoke transportation, compare fire activity across countries and regions, and replay biomass burning events as they unfolded, including the ongoing fires in France and Spain. Data can be examined at multiple scales, from individual grid cells and custom-drawn areas to provinces, countries and the globe, with charts and graphics available to download.
“It is very apt that this product should launch at such a critical moment for fires across the globe, with thousands of people displaced and millions exposed to hazardous air pollution,” said CAMS director Laurence Rouil. “The application transforms the wealth of information contained within the CAMS Global Fire Assimilation System into an intuitive and accessible tool. Whether users want to understand the fires affecting their local area or examine global biomass burning trends over the past two decades, Fire Emissions Watch makes that information available in just a few clicks.”
The tool also allows users to revisit major historical fire events dating back to 2003, including the 2003 European heat wave, the 2019 Amazon fires and the record-breaking 2023 Canadian wildfire season.
Fire Emissions Watch is built on the CAMS Global Fire Assimilation System, which uses satellite observations from the MODIS and VIIRS instruments, combined with ECMWF‘s Integrated Forecasting System, to estimate fire emissions and initialize atmospheric composition forecasts.
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