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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jul/30/europe-wildfires-climate-crisis-heat-summer>
"When Stefan Rahmstorf walked through the ruined streets of Dresden after the
river Elbe flooded in 2002, and again when severe heat killed 70,000 people in
Europe the following summer, the German climatologist wondered if worsening
weather would make the political world “wake up and do something really
decisively” to cut emissions.
But two decades and 750bn tons of atmospheric carbon pollution later, Rahmstorf
is still wondering when the wake-up call will come. Last week, as he was
surfing off France’s Atlantic coast with his partner, he watched towering smoke
plumes darken the sky as a ferocious inferno raged outside Bordeaux.
“The sun through the smoke was looking really blood red, and it put the whole
landscape into an eerie orange-coloured tint, like being on Mars or in some
dystopian sci-fi movie,” says Rahmstorf. “It felt totally surreal.”
Europe is suffering through a hellish summer of relentless heat. I’m writing
this from Berlin, where temperatures are set to reach 37C (99F) on Thursday –
and ferocious wildfires that have broken records in France and Spain.
What are the impacts of this, and should it really have come as a surprise?"
Via Diane A.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
