Climate change chaos: ‘Underestimated’ and ‘underreported’ wildfire risk gains prominence in UK

By Harriet Scott 2026-03-18T09:00:00

Climate change has ramped up the UK’s risk register to now include a greater propensity for wildfires – but, as the majority of wildfires occur following human activity, how can risk managers proactively prepare?

Judith Neumann, global head of industry advisory for sustainability and climate resilience at Guidewire, noted that wildfires have been gaining “more traction” across Europe – including the UK.

The increased risk of this peril occurring in the UK is clear to see, especially across 2025. Joint initiative the Global Wildfire Information System estimated in November 2025 that by the end of that year’s summertime, UK wildfires had burned 116,204 acres – the largest area affected since its monitoring began in 2012 and more than double the acres affected in summer 2022 in the UK.

So, how can the UK prepare for the rising wildfire risk?

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