A decade on the Iberian frontline has shown me that Europe’s climate emergency is impossible to deny

A long-time correspondent reflects on the visible and rapid acceleration of climate change in the Iberian peninsula over the last decade. The author argues that the increasing frequency of wildfires and extreme weather events makes the climate emergency undeniable.
Why it matters
Personal accounts of environmental shifts provide a human-interest perspective on the broader scientific data regarding global warming.
The headline news for Europe has been one climate disaster after another for weeks. The headline news for Europe has been one climate disaster after another for weeks. This is Europe World news A decade on the Iberian frontline has shown me that Europe’s climate emergency is impossible to deny What once felt exceptional now arrives with grim regularity all over the continent, and it will only get worse
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Sam Jones Wed 29 Jul 2026 10.35 EDT Last modified on Wed 29 Jul 2026 10.37 EDT Share Prefer the Guardian on Google Spain has changed immeasurably since I arrived here 10 years ago to begin work as the Guardian’s Madrid correspondent.
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