EU Forecasts Severe Climatic Season with Droughts and Fires
The executive of the European Union warned on Thursday that the continent is facing one of its most challenging years in terms of natural disasters such as droughts and wildfires due to climate change.
With extremely dry weather hitting several Mediterranean nations, EU Commissioner Maro efovi told legislators on Thursday that “the present drought in Europe could become the worst ever.” Fires ravaging huge swaths of the countryside only exacerbate the climate crisis, he said.
“Statistics show that since 2017, we have had the most intense, intense forest fires ever seen in Europe. And that we, unfortunately, expect the 2022 forest fire season could follow this trend,” he said.
Several member states, including Greece and Italy, have been afflicted by protracted drought conditions, and last month's heatwave reached as far north as northern Germany. It increased apprehension throughout Europe for other tragedies for the remainder of the summer.
According to efovi, the EU is already sponsoring the deployment of more than 200 firefighters from around the bloc to Greece to combat fires.
Italy is in the midst of an early summer heat wave accompanied by the worst drought in northern Italy in seventy years, and these conditions have been linked to the calamity that occurred on Sunday when a massive section of the Marmolada glacier broke off and collapsed onto hikers.
“The tragic event in Marmolada is just the latest example of disasters linked to warmer temperatures and thus to climate change,” efovi said.
Source: India Today
