The Mediterranean Wildfires have ravaged countries like Greece, Italy, and Turkey, and parts of France and Spain are on high alert for such high temperatures.
Hundreds of Mediterranean Wildfires are displacing millions of people and blazing across the land, as man-made climate change leads to higher summer heatwaves.
Also read: UN Climate Change Report Warns Of The Consequences Of Rising Temperatures
High temperatures are expected in Spain and France, with the crisis spreading across the region within weeks of this scorching summer weather.
Mediterranean Wildfires Affecting Greece
Greece is facing its worst ecological disaster in years, as the firefighters are constantly fighting against it, as stated by PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
The Mediterranean Wildfires have destroyed 100,000 hectares of farmland and forests in Greece and have left 3 dead in its wake. It has rendered thousands of people, homeless and millions have fled the country. Greece is devastated both environmentally and economically.
PM Mitsotakis has stated that 150 homes have been destroyed in Athens and the numbers are still rising in Evia, where half of the landscape has been burnt to ashes.
Also read: Wildfires, Droughts And Increasing CO2: Climate Change Gets Tagged To Bad News
The recent rainfall has reduced the crisis in Greece as it is one of the countries that experienced the Mediterranean Wildfires. The place is tagged as a “climate change hotspot” with the rise in temperature increases the duration of the fire season.
Mediterranean Wildfires Devastating Turkey And Italy
Turkey has observed the devastation of its southern coast. 8 people, that includes 2 firefighters have died in the Mediterranean Wildfires, which have destroyed large chunks of the pine forest and agricultural land.
Hotels and resorts are being evacuated and thousands of people are being forced to abandon their homes during this fire season.
Italy has experienced a temperature of 48.8 degrees Centigrade on Wednesday and is a European record. The anticyclone “Lucifer” is moving across the country with extremely high pressure and brings hot, dry weather along with it.
Italian firefighters had continued their battle against Mediterranean Wildfires in Sicily and had reported over 500 blazes overnight. The fire in Italy has killed a total of 4.
The Mediterranean Wildfires have moved west towards Spain, where 3 wildfires are burning. The temperature has risen above 40 degrees Centigrade in Spain, on Friday and Saturday and observed even in France.
Tarragona has seen dozens of firefighters aided by 4 water-dropping aircraft to fight the fire. The fire has destroyed 40 hectares of forests already, as stated by the local officials.
Two smaller fires were reported in La Rioja and Zaragoza and needed the help of 2 planes.
17 of Spain’s regions were on high alert for heat and the number of heatwaves is reported to be double that, between 2011 and 2020.
The southern parts of France are under high alert and Portugal has started issuing warnings to the Algarve region.
Portuguese PM Antonio Costa has pleaded with people to avoid doing unusual things and to prevent the impending devastation caused by wildfires.
North Africa is also crippling under this increasing heat.
Algeria required assistance after wildfires killed 69 people in the Berber region. The victims include 28 soldiers who were sent to fight the fires.
The Meteorology Office in Algeria had forecasted hot weather from Thursday, in dozens of regions. Tizi-Ouzou was also included in the list. The temperature was expected to reach 47 degrees Centigrade in certain parts of Algeria.
Tunisia has recorded its highest temperature of 50 degrees Centigrade, which is almost 2 degrees higher than its previous (48.2 degrees Centigrade) in 1968.
Lebanon has added the recovery from the Mediterranean Wildfires to its list of debilitating challenges.
