The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, stated that this year's hot summer highlights the EU's need to develop new tools to combat climate change. This summer has led to reduced river water levels and the deaths of tens of thousands of people across various EU countries from Portugal to Hungary.
Proposed New Heat Plan
Von der Leyen mentioned that this instability prompted her to propose a new heat plan for Europe, as well as the creation of an aerial firefighting fleet. Currently, the EU has a small fleet but coordinates a network of aircraft, water trucks, and volunteers to combat wildfires across the 27 member states.
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Heat-Related Deaths and Crises
In her annual speech on the state of the EU in Strasbourg, she remarked: "This summer was a summer of truth. Almost no part of our continent was spared from it." Von der Leyen referred to the reduction of water levels in major rivers such as the Danube, Rhine, and Garonne, adding that over 35,000 excess deaths have been recorded this summer.
The extreme heat, which affected Europe unusually early compared to previous years, seems to have caused a significant increase in mortality compared to expectations. While the source of the 35,000 death statistic is unclear, this figure is three times the estimates from monitoring groups in July.
Wildfires in France and Spain forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes and led to the shutdown of nuclear reactors in Hungary and France. Additionally, these fires detonated old explosives at the Belgium-Germany border and revealed sunken vessels in riverbeds, such as a tugboat in Serbia.
Von der Leyen, expressing gratitude to those who fought the wildfires last summer, urged rescuers and firefighters to "think bigger and learn faster" to design new capabilities to tackle climate instability.
She also remembered a Dutch pilot named Ron Kinald, who lost his life while battling wildfires in Greece in August, stating: "Ron sacrificed his life to save others, and today all of Europe owes him a debt of gratitude."
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Source: abcnews.com
