London, UK – Right now Europe is enduring an extreme heatwave that experts say is contributing to the tragic wildfires in Greece where 79 people have died according to the latest from state officials. From the Mediterranean to the Arctic Circle unseasonably dry weather and high temperatures are hitting home – the incidence of forest fires alone is 43% above the seasonal average for the region. Sweden is calling for international support to battle several devastating wildfires that threaten to spread out of control as even the northernmost European states experience unprecedented conflagration. Climate scientists including Myles Allen from the University of Oxford says that this heatwave in Europe is undoubtedly due to “human influence on climate” – the impacts of burning fossil fuels are here, now. There is no time to lose to accelerate the just transition to a 100% renewable energy future.
Nicolo Wojewoda, 350.org Europe Team Leader, issued the following statement:
“The current situation in Europe shows that impacts of a warming world are now being felt close to home. We are in a serious, deadly situation and yet our leaders are negligent about their climate commitments. Recent events show that we can no longer delay urgent climate action. If our EU leaders cannot do it, local communities are ready and willing to take on the job. In September, the world will Rise for Climate to demonstrate what climate leadership really means for Europeans. Local climate action will lead the way and we will end the era of fossil fuels.”
On September 8, tens of thousands around the world will be joining one of the Rise for Climate mobilizations, where communities will be calling on elected officials and decision-makers at all levels to take meaningful and immediate climate action for a fossil free world.
Contacts
Renee Karunungan, 350.org Europe Media Campaigner
[email protected]/ +447501344164