Europe burns

Temperatures hitting record levels — including the UK, Germany, Italy and Belgium — more suffering is in store

Climate change and criminal human behaviour have combined to punish Europe in an unprecedented manner, as record temperatures and wildfires continue to wreak havoc on human life and the environment. Over 1,000 heatwave-related deaths have been recorded in Portugal alone, while France, Italy, Greece, and Spain are all suffering from their worst wildfires in decades.

With temperatures hitting or approaching record levels in several countries — including the UK, Germany, Italy and Belgium — more suffering is in store for the continent. The situation is also aggravated by the fact that most European countries’ base infrastructure is centuries old, albeit upgraded, and home air conditioning is a rarity on much of the continent.

This has led several countries to come up with their own innovative solutions. Belgian museums, for example, are offering free admission to senior citizens to help them stay cool, while the UK has seen campuses and several public spaces close. Trains and other public transport have also been affected, with reports of roads and airport runways taking damage, while trains have been halted because railway tracks are bending due to the heat. In the Netherlands, workers have been spraying water on mechanical bridges over the country’s thousands of canals to prevent the metal from expanding and permanently jamming them shut. As for the fires, in France, a man has been arrested on suspicion of starting the fire that has now consumed over 32,000 acres of pine forest. Reports suggest this was not even his first rodeo as he was previously questioned in connection with a forest fire in 2012, but the investigation was later shelved due to lack of evidence.

Meanwhile, over 70,000 acres of Spanish forest have been reduced to ash this year — double the annual average. While Europe has pledged to make significant efforts to mitigate climate change, actually feeling the impacts the global poor have suffered for decades may make EU leaders up their game.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 21^st, 2022.

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