Floods and wildfires reveal alarming reality of climate change in Europe

Record floods in Central Europe  and severe wildfires in Portugal  are evidence that climate change in Europe is at an alarming level, according to the European Union’s Commissioner for Crisis Management .

Europe is the “fastest warming continent globally” and “particularly vulnerable to extreme weather events,” said Janez Lenarcic, EU Commissioner for Crisis Management.

In addition to the human toll, EU member states are also facing increasing costs to repair damage caused by natural disasters. “The average cost of repairing the consequences of natural disasters in the 1980s was 8 billion euros. However, in 2021 and 2022, this cost has skyrocketed and exceeded 50 billion euros per year,” Mr. Lenarcic warned.

“We are witnessing a Europe that is both flooded and on fire. These extreme weather events… are becoming more and more frequent,” he stressed.

Meanwhile, in Portugal, a large-scale forest fire broke out in the north and central regions. The government had to mobilize about 5,000 firefighters to try to control the fire.

In Aveiro alone, the fire has burned more than 10,000 hectares of forest and is expected to seriously affect another 20,000 hectares if left unchecked. According to initial statistics, at least 7 people have died and more than 40 others have been injured in the above incident.