Europe's Climate Crisis: Floods and Wildfires Signal Urgent Need for Action

Deadly floods and wildfires across Central Europe and Portugal exemplify a climate crisis that demands immediate action, according to EU officials. The region's rapid warming and increasing frequency of extreme weather events point to a dire future without intervention. The EU faces political challenges in implementing its Green Deal.

Devastating floods throughout Central Europe and deadly wildfires in Portugal are stark evidence of an impending 'climate breakdown,' the European Union's head office warned on Wednesday.

'Make no mistake. This tragedy is not an anomaly. This is fast becoming the norm for our shared future,' declared EU Crisis Management Commissioner Janez Lenarcic.

The worst flooding in years spread across Central Europe on Tuesday, claiming lives and destroying homes, while in northern Portugal, fires have killed at least six.

'Europe is the fastest warming continent globally and is particularly vulnerable to extreme weather events like the one we are discussing today. We cannot return to a safer past,' Lenarcic cautioned EU lawmakers in Strasbourg, France.

He also highlighted the skyrocketing costs of disaster recovery, which jumped from 8 billion euros annually in the 1980s to over 50 billion euros in recent years.

Terry Reintke, president of the Greens in the European Parliament, stated the EU has incurred estimated costs of 650 billion euros since the 1980s.

The EU is grappling with political resistance to climate measures, including home heating and farm pollution controls, despite the urgency of reducing emissions.

'Our success will depend on how determined we are to combat climate change together,' Reintke emphasized, urging support for the EU's Green Deal.

This extensive plan to achieve climate neutrality by 2050 is increasingly criticized as unrealistic and costly, particularly by populist and far-right parties.

'We face a Europe that is simultaneously flooding and burning. These extreme weather events are now an almost annual occurrence,' Lenarcic stressed, pointing to the urgent need for action.

(With inputs from agencies.)