“Frontlines of a Burning World”: Climate Change-Fueled “Megafires” Sweep Europe & North America

France and Spain are battling catastrophic wildfires that have forced more than 350,000 people to evacuate their homes. The fires began in the southwest of France on Wednesday before spreading to Spain, where they have consumed more than 120,000 acres in what is now the most destructive fire in Spain’s recent history. Meanwhile, a new heat wave is expected to hit Europe this week, with temperatures soaring above 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).

Professor Ángel Luis Lara, who fled his home west of Madrid, says he considers his family “very lucky” because they managed to escape to safety. He says the wildfires are not just about extreme weather, but also “decades of neoliberal policies” that have diminished public services and the ability to respond to natural disasters.

We also speak with journalist John Vaillant, author of Fire Weather, who says the climate crisis has created conditions that lead to destructive “megafires” like those in Europe, North America and beyond. “These conditions have been slowly building and worsening for decades, basically vindicating, unfortunately, the warnings of climate scientists and firefighters,” says Vaillant.