Europe’s relentless summer has led to unprecedented wildfires
Europe is experiencing record-breaking wildfires this summer, with France and Spain suffering the most severe damage. Experts attribute the unprecedented scale of destruction and displacement to rising temperatures caused by climate change.
Why it matters
The record-breaking fire season underscores the accelerating impact of climate change on European infrastructure, public safety, and carbon emissions.
With at least a month left for summer to end in most of Europe, some of the countries, which were already affected by heat wave conditions this year, are now facing wildfires at a pace unseen in the recent past.
France and Spain are the most affected. As of last week, 91,209 hectares have been destroyed by wildfires in France, which already surpasses the total area burned due to forest fires in the country in a year at least since 1980.
As per the Forest Fires in Europe, Middle East and North Africa 2024 report brought out by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission, 75,566 hectares of land which got burnt in 1989 was the previous record.
The extent of the impact of the wildfires is likely to go up significantly in France in the coming days.
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