An plane drops water as firefighters function throughout a wildfire in Vati village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 25, 2023.Photograph: Petros Giannakouris (AP)
Europe has been on hearth this summer season, however the variety of firefighters obtainable to deal with blazes across the continent has been on the decline.
There have been a little bit underneath 360,000 firefighters within the European Union final 12 months, a 2,800-person decline from the variety of firefighters in 2021, in response to a current assertion from the European Commerce Union Confederation (ETUC), citing information from Eurostat. Particularly susceptible international locations like France noticed a 12% decline in firefighters obtainable. The drop comes within the wake of southwestern France enduring an particularly devastating wildfire that prompted the evacuation of greater than 1,000 in September 2022. Portugal noticed a greater than 21% decline from 2021 and 2022.
Widespread cuts are going to turn into a “recipe for catastrophe,” Esther Lynch, ETUC’s normal secretary stated in an announcement. Lynch argued that EU international locations must be investing extra in its emergency response, particularly as local weather change creates situations for extra wildfires.
“It’s clear from these figures that funding is already inadequate, and I’m involved extra cuts may very well be on their approach if the EU reintroduces austerity guidelines subsequent 12 months,” Lynch stated by way of the assertion. “It could imply the vast majority of member states must make cuts on the very time the EU are asking them to extend funding within the struggle in opposition to local weather change.”
Europe has turn into drier and warmer over time because the local weather disaster fuels adjustments in precipitation and raises common temperatures. A number of international locations have seen report highs, even areas which might be purported to be temperate. Alpe d’Huez, an Alpine ski resort that sits greater than 6,000 above sea degree noticed a report excessive of about 85 levels Fahrenheit (29.5 Celsius), in response to Météo-France, a nationwide meteorological service.
See firefighters work to extinguish fires all through Europe this summer season:
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