A summer of flames 🔥

I am loosing track on how many times I have put front end images of fires here.

But my Southern Europe is once again in the grip of devastating wildfires, fueled by a lethal combination of record-breaking heat, prolonged drought, and neglected landscapes.

Let’s take Spain.

This August alone has seen more than 148,000 hectares of land burned, forcing thousands to evacuate towns. Similar situation across Portugal, Greece, Turkey, Albania, and Montenegro, where firefighters are stretched to their limits.

Fires are not isolated disasters but part of a broader Mediterranean pattern where higher temperatures—often above 45 °C (113 °F)—turn forests and farmland into tinderboxes.

Socio-economic factors are amplifying the problem🌱

Scientists and local officials stress that climate change is not acting alone.

Rising global temperatures intensify heatwaves and dry out vegetation, but socio-economic factors amplify the risk.

Rural depopulation across Southern Europe has left vast swathes of farmland and forest unmanaged, creating perfect fuel for wildfires.

In Spain, the loss of over 30% of agricultural land since the 1960s has left many areas overgrown and vulnerable. Add to this a reduction in water resources—Mediterranean precipitation has declined by 20% over the past five decades—and the result is an explosive environment. When fire season arrives, it is no longer about if flames will spread, but how far and how fast.

Experts warn that without proactive land management, firefighting efforts will remain reactive and insufficient.

Rethinking prevention

While governments scramble with aerial tankers and cross-border aid, some regions are experimenting with unconventional yet promising strategies. One initiative in Catalonia, “Ramats de Foc” (Flocks of Fire), employs shepherds and their goats to graze in high-risk zones, reducing excess vegetation and creating natural firebreaks.

These low-tech, nature-based solutions highlight the urgent need to integrate ecological practices into fire prevention.

Yet local action must be matched with global responsibility.

Europe is warming at nearly twice the global average, and the Mediterranean is on track to become a climate hotspot where extreme events are the norm.

If the world continues on its current emissions trajectory, wildfires like those seen in 2025 will not be the exception but the expectation.

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