Climate crisis up close: a week of wildfires in Rhodes - podcast - The Guardian

Climate crisis up close: a week of wildfires in Rhodes - podcast | News | The Guardian

Holidaymakers on the Greek island of Rhodes found themselves evacuated from hotels and sleeping in school halls as wildfires raged nearby. As they make plans to return home, residents and business owners are counting the cost of what will be an expensive recovery. Rachel Hall reports

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Thousands of British travellers landed in Rhodes expecting a holiday of sun, sea and relaxation in the warmth of one of Greece’s most popular tourist islands. Instead they found themselves evacuated from five-star hotels and sleeping in school halls as firefighters battled with raging wildfires.

The Guardian’s Rachel Hall reports from Rhodes, where tourists are finding their way on to return flights and local residents and business owners are beginning the long and costly journey to recovery. Many are bemoaning what they describe as a slow response from the Greek authorities as volunteers step in to plug the gaps.

The Greek prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, said this week the Mediterranean was now a ‘hotspot for climate change’. As tourists board repatriation flights, many expressed gratitude to the local people who had rushed to their aid, and vowed to return. But with extreme heat now a fact of life in Rhodes, what does it mean for an island reliant on tourism?

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