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Hundreds have fled as wildfires rage in Greece for a third day while authorities brace for a new heatwave stoking tinderbox conditions across the country.
Dozens of homes were gutted in towns west of Athens, while the fire brigade reported that a third fire had broken out on the island of Rhodes. Firefighters worked throughout the night and four aircraft sent from Italy and France will soon join the efforts to keep the flames at bay, as a second heatwave is forecast to start in Greece on Thursday.
Thousands have also been evacuated in the Canary Islands and Switzerland in recent days, as southern Europe is gripped by the ongoing wildfires and extreme heat caused by the fossil-fuel-driven climate crisis.
Temperature records have been shattered in Rome and Catalonia, provisional data suggests, and meteorologists predict that temperatures this week may surpass Europe’s current record of 48.8C, set in Sicily in August 2021, raising fears of a repetition of last year’s heat deaths, which saw an estimated 61,000 fatalities in Europe alone.
Britain’s Foreign Office has updated its travel advice for Spain and Greece, with holidaymakers urged to sign up for emergency alerts and warned of travel disruption.
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Key Points Brits travelling to Europe given updated travel advice during extreme heat Italy braces for record-breaking heat as temperatures set to soar to 48C WMO warns of risk of heart attacks and deaths as heatwave intensifies Wildfires threaten seaside homes outside Greek capital after heatwave Heatwave ‘likely to continue into August’, says UN
Show latest update 1689750922 Wildfires continue in Greece as EU allies send aid
Wildfires burned for a third day west of the Greek capital Athens on Wednesday, as authorities braced for a new heatwave stoking tinderbox conditions across the country.
At first light, air water bombers resumed operations over the towns of Mandra, west of Athens, and Loutraki, close to the Corinth canal which separates mainland Greece from the Peloponnese. Firefighters worked throughout the night to keep flames at bay and away from a complex of coastal refineries.
Four aircraft sent from Italy and France will join the efforts on Wednesday, authorities said.
The fire brigade reported that a third fire had broken out on the island of Rhodes.
Dozens of homes were gutted and hundreds forced to flee towering flames which seared through hamlets on Tuesday. Traffic was suspended for hours on two roads connecting the mainland to the Peloponnese. They were partially reopened early Wednesday.
The fire risk hazard was high throughout the country. "We remain on a level of high alert," said fire brigade spokesman Vassilis Varthakogiannis. The Greek meteorological service has warned of a high risk of fires this week, just as the country recovers from the first major heatwave of the summer. A second heatwave was forecast to start on Thursday.
Tara Cobham 19 July 2023 08:15
1689776624 The five hidden hazards heatwaves pose to children
As temperatures soar across the world, extreme heat is putting children’s health at risk, locking them out of education and making them increasingly anxious about the future, Save the Children have said, adding that children affected by poverty, inequality and discrimination are disproportionately impacted.
Here are five ways the organisation has said scorching heatwaves are impacting the rights of children:
1. Health impacts: Children exposed to extreme heat are at greater risk of respiratory disease, kidney disease and other health hazards.
2. Disrupted learning: Recent heatwaves have seen schools close around the world.
3. Hunger: Across the world, crop failures and the death of livestock brought about by extreme heat put food out of reach for children and families and often end up pushing prices up for everyone.
4. Unable to play: With authorities warning people to stay inside, children are more likely to be cooped up, lonely and unable to do activities that are critical to their physical and mental development.
5. Psychological distress: Hot summer days drive up the number of people experiencing mental health emergencies, according to recent research.
Tara Cobham 19 July 2023 15:23
1689773393 EU rushes firefighters to Greece as gruelling Mediterranean heatwaves takes toll
Fire planes and ground crews from several European countries were heading to Greece where wildfires have intensified as relentless heatwave conditions are keeping much of southern Europe above 40C (104F).
Three firefighting teams from Poland, Romania and Slovakia were due in Greece on Thursday, while Israel had pledged two firefighting aircraft, adding to the four planes from Italy and France already operating outside Athens.
New evacuations were ordered on Wednesday as wildfires raged near the Greek capital. A second heatwave hit the Mediterranean country from the west following days of record-high temperatures that baked southern Europe.
In a round-the-clock battle to preserve forests, industrial facilities and holiday homes, evacuations continued for a third day along a motorway connecting Athens to the southern city of Corinth.
Temperatures in southern Greece are expected to reach 44C (111F) by the end of the week, in the second heatwave to hit Europe's Mediterranean south in two weeks.
Tara Cobham 19 July 2023 14:29
1689770353 Tourists flock to China’s ‘Flaming Mountains’ as heatwave hits record 28th day
Several tourists gathered at China’s scenic “Flaming Mountains” tourist spot to experience spiking temperatures amid continuing heatwaves lashing Asia and much of the northern hemisphere.
Situated in Xinjiang, the Flaming Mountains are a popular tourist attraction that draw thousands to the northern rim of the Turpan Depression each summer, as people come to gaze at corrugated slopes of brown-red sandstone.
The ground at the spot emanates heat not experienced before by many.
Stuti Mishra reports:
Tourists flock to China’s ‘Flaming Mountains’ as heatwave hits record 28th day Beijing marks its 28th day of temperatures of more than 35C in a grim new record amid the climate crisis
Tara Cobham 19 July 2023 13:39
1689768495 Temperatures expected to hit 43C on Thursday as Greek residents lose ‘everything’ in wildfires
Wildfires continue to burn for a third day west of the Greek capital Athens, with air water bombers resuming operations at first light and firefighters working to keep flames away from coastal refineries.
Fanned by erratic winds, the fires have gutted dozens of homes, prompted hundreds of people to flee and blanketed the area in thick smoke. Temperatures could climb to 43C on Thursday, forecasters said.
Residents have been left surveying the wreckage of their homes after the wildfires, which has been dubbed a “fiery hell” by local media.
“Everything burned, everything. I will throw it all, it’s all waste. The boiler burned, it’s done, it melted,” said Abbram Paroutsidis, 65.
Residents look in despair at their house which has been completely destroyed due to a wildfire, in Dervenochoria, northwest of Attica region, Greece.
(EPA)
Holly Evans 19 July 2023 13:08
1689766965 Extreme weather is linked to ‘human-induced climate change’, says expert
The European Space Agency has pointed to climate change as one of the deciding factors behind the extreme weather events, particularly heatwaves.
Speaking to Sky News, Dr. Clement Albergel said: “If there’s one kind of weather extreme that we can clearly link to human-induced climate change, it’s worsening heatwaves.”
“Heatwaves are getting hotter, they are occurring at a higher frequency, increasing the likelihood of sequential heatwaves.”
This comes after the World Meteorological Organisation said there was “no immediate respite in sight” with a continuation of extreme heat potentially extending into August.
Holly Evans 19 July 2023 12:42
1689765782 Red alert issued for 85% of Italy’s biggest cities
Red alerts for extreme heat have been issued for 23 of Italy’s 27 biggest cities, including the capital Rome, Naples, Florence and Verona.
With the heatwave set to hit peak temperatures today, the alert means that the extreme heat will affect everyone, not just those from vulnerable groups.
Electricity consumption reached a 2023 record on Tuesday afternoon as people ramped up the air condition to cope with the heat, grid operator Terna said.
Hospitals across the country have seen a shharp increase in the number of people seeking emergency care for heat-related illnesses.
Tourists cool off with a fan in Rome as red alerts issued across the country
(Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
Holly Evans 19 July 2023 12:23
1689764122 In pictures: Wildfires continue to rage in Greece
Wildfire burning near the village of Kandyli, near Athens
(REUTERS)
An aerial view shows a burnt forest after a fire in Magoula, 21km northwest of central Athens
(AFP/Getty)
House threatened by a fire at the settlement of Kandyli, near Athens
(AFP/Getty)
Tara Cobham 19 July 2023 11:55
1689762922 Is it safe to travel to Italy, Spain, Greece and Croatia?
Travellers from the UK, US and elsewhere in the world may be looking with concern at planned trips to the Mediterranean.
As the busiest summer getaway since 2019 begins, travellers to southern Europe are likely to experience extreme heat. An area of high pressure appears to have settled over the Med with little sign of abating.
The deadly “Charon” heatwave (so named by Italian meteorologists) is gripping southern France, Spain, Italy, Croatia, Greece and Turkey, as well as smaller countries in the Mediterranean region.
Travel Correspondent Simon Calder reports:
Europe heatwave: Is it safe to travel to Italy, Spain, Greece and Croatia? A deadly heatwave is sweeping Europe, with ground temperatures in Spain hitting more than 60C
Tara Cobham 19 July 2023 11:35
1689761722 Planning system ‘must change for local authorities to address climate change'
The planning system must change to allow local authorities to address climate change and contribute towards net zero, a new report has found.
The Spatial Planning for Climate Resilience and Net Zero report, commissioned by the Committee for Climate Change (CCC), analysed national and local planning policy as well as an evidence review, case studies and a survey of planning practitioners.
Researchers found a disparity between the potential of the planning system as a tool for driving carbon reductions and its actual performance on the ground. They also said there has been a failure by successive governments to prioritise the role of planning in tackling climate objectives, including net zero targets.
Elsewhere, the report found that no local plan was identified as being fully aligned with the UK's net zero pathway and that guidance on climate adaptation, like resilience to heatwaves, is insufficiently developed.
It comes after CCC chairman Lord Deben warned last month that the planning system "must not prevent the rollout of infrastructure needed to deliver net zero".
Campaigners, planners and industry stakeholders, including the Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE) and the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) who produced the report, are now calling for widespread planning reform.
Tara Cobham 19 July 2023 11:15
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1/ 1Hundreds flee wildfires for third day in Greece – live
Hundreds flee wildfires for third day in Greece – live
A firefighting helicopter drops water as a wildfire hits at Panorama settlement near Agioi Theodori, some 70 kms west of Athens on Tuesday
AFP via Getty Images
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