For millions of people in Europe, August is traditionally a month for rest and relaxation. This summer, however, has been one many would prefer to forget. From southern France to Spain and Portugal, about 300,000 people were evacuated as wildfires blazed amid scorching temperatures. In Greece, even the airspace became hazardous – a fact underlined by Sunday’s deadly crash involving two firefighting helicopters.
Across the continent, climate records continue to tumble with alarming ease. On Monday, it was reported that England received only 10 per cent of its expected rainfall last month, making it the driest July in 190 years of records. Fires, droughts and heatwaves are evolving from intermittent emergencies to something more systemic.
Europe’s problems are not a distant crisis for those watching from the UAE. Citizens and residents alike have seen familiar holiday destinations go up in flames. Others have been consumed with worry about friends and relatives caught up in the heat and smoke. Travelling to parts of Europe at this time of year now comes with an undercurrent of trepidation.
Such events should be driving urgent action to mitigate the worst aspects of our rapidly heating planet. And yet, climate change has slipped down the worldwide political agenda as competing crises dominate leaders’ agendas. In its 2026 Global Risks Report, the World Economic Forum said “inward-looking and adversarial policies” were leading too many countries to prioritise national interests over collective action, making it harder to tackle “shared challenges” such as climate change.
Europe’s response to extreme heat remains heavily weighted towards reaction. Although firefighting capacity has improved and co-ordination between countries has deepened, the model still leans towards containment. This will not do when facing a climate that is shifting so quickly. Higher temperatures, long droughts and changing wind patterns are turning landscapes into fuel for fires that threaten entire cities. Scientists now say such fires are up to 20 times more likely because of climate change.
The UAE has long prioritised resilience. Early warning systems, infrastructure designed for heat, plus long-term planning and investment are embedded in policy. Although these do not provide immunity from the worst of the summer heat – temperatures in the Emirates reached 49°C this week amid a wider Middle East heatwave – there is an understanding that adaptation is indispensable.
The worst of Europe’s summer may pass but the emerging pattern of climate crisis will not. Firefighting cannot be expected to hold the line alone. A structural response is needed to answer a structural question – that means scrutinising land management, tourism, agriculture, urban planning, water use, and investment in prevention at a scale that matches the threat. A new climate reality faces Europe and much of the world, and policy must catch up before the next evacuation order is issued.
