PM says wildfires are proof the emergency is getting worse, and that sustained non-partisan effort is needed
The wildfires that have devoured 373,000 hectares of land in Spain and killed four people underscore the need to “readjust and recalibrate” the country’s preparation and response capacities as part of a sustained, non-partisan effort to tackle the impacts of the climate emergency, the prime minister has warned.
Speaking during a visit to the south-western region of Extremadura on Tuesday, Pedro Sánchez said that while the record-breaking 16-day heatwave that had fanned the flames was over, “difficult hours” lay ahead as firefighters continue to battle huge blazes across north-west Spain.
The prime minister said the wildfires – and last year’s disastrous floods in the eastern region of Valencia – were clear proof that the climate emergency was hitting Spain harder and harder each year.
“We need to prepare and be better equipped with mechanisms and tools so that we can mitigate the effects of these climate emergencies when they happen,” he said. “The climate emergency is getting worse and more recurrent each year, and the effects of that emergency are accelerating each year.”
