Charlotte Grimshaw on watching Europe burn: ‘This is a version of hell’
Europe is experiencing severe heatwaves and record-breaking wildfires, leading to massive evacuations in France and Spain. Leaders have described the situation as a major climate emergency and a significant peacetime crisis.
Why it matters
The increasing frequency of extreme weather events highlights the escalating impact of climate change on European infrastructure and public safety.
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State of emergency: Europe is under another heatwave warning while wildfires have caused the largest peacetime evacuations that France has seen. Photo / Getty Images
T he plan had been to go home a different way. After discussion, the route was set: train to Madrid, then head up into France.
It had been agreed, finally, that it would be okay to take a bus from Spain into France. This was despite my pointing out that riding on intercity buses “just invites ending up being strewn down a mountainside”. I favour trains, but there wasn’t one.
It was taken as read that Madrid would be a furnace – this was nothing new. But everything intensified as the heatwaves rolled on. Europe’s fever was reaching a whole new pitch.
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