Europe’s Record Wildfires: Storms Then Flames Show Adaptation Failure

Just four months after record floods swamped western Europe, the same region is now battling unprecedented wildfires. By 1 July, blazes had burned 28,000 hectares in France and 50,000 hectares in Spain—more than double the average for that time of year. The fires have grown even larger in the following week, sending choking smoke across southern Europe. Scientists say the crisis highlights a failure to adapt. They call for better land management alongside cuts in the greenhouse gases driving the extreme weather. The rapid shift from floods to fires underscores the mounting cost of inaction.