Europe is on fire. Climate Change is the cause.
Major parts of Europe are battling wildfires resulting from an extremely dry and hot summer.
Authorities in France are battling to contain a huge wildfire near Bordeaux, France.
Spain and the Iberian peninsula have several wildfires in progress, a major one west of Madrid.
Efforts to extinguish the blaze in the Gironde region of France, near Bordeaux – which has consumed an area four times the size of Paris and caused nearly 220,000 people to be evacuated – were hampered by windy conditions on Saturday night.
In Spain, fires west of Madrid were being brought under control, but P.M.Sánchez spoke of “difficult hours”.
Wildfires have forced approximately 375,000 people to flee their homes in France and Spain. In France nearly 260,000 have been forced to flee, while in neighbouring Spain 116,000 have been evacuated this week.
Here is a fire map of Europe – generated from data by NASA satellites.
https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/map/#d:24hrs;l:fires_all,countries,earth;@6.4,46.7,5.7z
Apocalyptic images and videos of the wildfires in Spain and France abound –
NASA and ESA Deep Space Networks near Madrid
The NASA Deep Space Network (DSN) in Robledo, west of Madrid, was evacuated as flames approached the campus.
Thankfully, it appears to have escaped any major damage.
The ESA Deep Space Network ground station in Cebreros, few km west of the NASA DSN site, also seems to have escaped unharmed.
Wildfires and Climate Change
Prime minister Pedro Sánchez put his finger on the root cause of the recurring wildfires. He warned that Spain and Portugal were experiencing the varied consequences of the climate emergency, from fires and storms to heavy snowfalls. “The entire Iberian peninsula is suffering the effects of the climate emergency in a very specific way.”
ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher wrote – “Extreme heat and subsequent wildfires are the clearest indication that our climate is changing. I pledge to continue to advocate for increased monitoring and understanding of our planet.”
Prof. Stefan Rahmstorf, Head of Earth System Analysis at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research wrote – “Welcome to the climate emergency! Despite all denial of the fossil fuel lobby, it’s scientific fact: CO2 emissions heat up Earth & make fires worse.”
Daily sea surface temperature keeps breaking records every year. Despite gaslighting by the fossil fuel industry, it is a well-established fact that CO2 and methane in the atmosphere traps heat from the Sun and raises ocean, land and air temperatures, which affects weather and climate.
Epilogue
European and other countries are waking up to the fact the climate change knows no boundaries. And it has direct effects on the health and safety of the nations and their people.
The U.S. OTOH has become a pariah state, under control of the hyenas of our society, who seem hell bent on literally burning it all down to satisfy their lust for power and cruelty.
Let’s keep working to change it in November.
Additional Coverage
https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/26/world/live-news/france-spain-wildfires-evacuations
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