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Spain is facing growing economic and human costs from climate change, with wildfires, heatwaves, drought and floods affecting communities and key industries, according to the BBC.
In the Gredos mountains west of Madrid, farmer Juan Ángel Izquierdo is still assessing the damage caused by a wildfire that swept through the area in late July. The blaze merged with two others and burned about 80,000 hectares (200,000 acres), making it the largest fire ever recorded in Spain.
More than two-thirds of Izquierdo’s land was destroyed, 12 of his 85 cows died and eight more had to be euthanised because of their injuries. The hay he had stored for winter was also lost.
“The summers are becoming more and more worrying because they are getting hotter,” Izquierdo said. “It rains less, the wet season ends earlier and autumn starts much later.”
Wildfires put pressure on farmers
About 300,000 hectares of land have burned in Spain this year, according to the European Forest Fire Information System. That is approximately half the area affected by fires across the entire European Union.
World Weather Attribution, an international research organisation, said the extreme conditions that fuelled record-breaking fires in Spain and Portugal in 2025 were 40 times more likely because of climate change.
Ernesto Rodríguez Camino, president of the Spanish Meteorology Association, attributed the increasing frequency and intensity of such fires to rising greenhouse gas emissions, mainly caused by the widespread use of fossil fuels.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has described the fires as evidence that “the climate emergency kills”. A wildfire in the southern province of Almería claimed 15 lives in July.
Agroseguro, Spain’s farming insurance association, estimated that 16,000 hectares of crops had been destroyed by mid-August. The damage represents a major setback for the agri-food sector, which contributes 9% of Spain’s gross domestic product.
Authorities in Castilla y León are offering affected farmers compensation ranging from €5,500 ($6,300; £4,700) to €25,000 ($29,000; £21,000), depending on the extent of the damage. Izquierdo said the payments would cover less than half of his losses.
Heat threatens tourism and water supplies
Spain’s warm climate has long supported its tourism industry, with Mediterranean resorts and the Balearic and Canary Islands attracting visitors from around the world. Nearly 100 million foreign tourists are expected to visit the country this year, making Spain the world’s second most visited country after France.
However, researchers at Madrid’s Rey Juan Carlos University found that heatwaves could deter visitors. Overnight stays and arrivals from some major markets fell in the destinations examined during periods of extreme heat, according to economist María Dolores Sánchez, one of the study’s authors.
Tourism accounts for 13% of Spain’s GDP, raising concerns about the country’s competitiveness if hotter conditions become more frequent.
Temperatures in the historic city of Toledo repeatedly exceeded 40C this summer. Tour guide Diego Esteban said operators had been forced to adapt by adding shaded stops, providing drinking water and changing itineraries.
Hotter summers are also shifting the tourist season towards spring and autumn, while more Spanish travellers are choosing cooler destinations in the north in a trend known as “coolcation”.
Climate change has also intensified drought risks. In 2024, after three years of limited rainfall, Catalonia introduced temporary water restrictions, including a 25% reduction for industry and an 80% reduction for crop farming. Subsequent heavy rainfall eased the restrictions, but the drought had already damaged the regional economy.
Deadly floods highlight climate risks
In October 2024, flash floods in eastern Spain killed 237 people, mainly in the Valencia region. Spanish meteorological research group Climatoc-Lab described the disaster as an example of how global warming is changing the hydrological cycle.
The Valencia Chamber of Commerce estimated that the floods caused €4.5 billion in direct damage. Thousands of businesses were affected, with some destroyed by floodwater and others requiring lengthy recovery periods.
Laura Llácer Álvarez, manager of the Fepeval federation of industrial parks in Valencia, described the disaster as devastating for lives, businesses, workers and residents.
Spain’s geography, climate and terrain make it particularly vulnerable to rising global temperatures. Germanwatch, an independent environmental organisation, ranked Spain as the world’s 20th most climate-affected country in its 2024 climate risk index.
Julián Cubero, head of climate-change economics at BBVA Research, said climate change was altering how economies produce, invest and consume. While higher temperatures could reduce productivity, he argued that the transition to a greener economy could create new and more productive jobs.
“If we don’t act, growth will slow down,” Cubero said. “If it’s handled right, it can become an opportunity.”
