"This summer's infernos expose how climate change, land neglect and disaster capitalism turn forests into fuel. From Turkiye to Greece, from France to Spain, this summer's Mediterranean wildfires make one thing clear: Something has changed. These are no longer occasional dry spells or extreme seasons. The so-called sixth-generation fires are fuelled by a climatic and social logic deeply embedded in the machinery of global disaster capitalism."
"The scale is staggering. By August 26, more than one million hectares (3,860sq miles) had burned across the European Union in 2025 four times the historical average of the past two decades. In Spain, the devastation jumped from 40,000 to more than 416,000 hectares (155 to 1,606sq miles) in just a matter of weeks, making 2025 the year with the largest area burned this century, while fire-related emissions reached the highest annual total in the record dating back to 2003."
By August 26, 2025 more than one million hectares burned across the European Union, roughly four times the historical average of the past two decades. Spain's burned area rose from about 40,000 to over 416,000 hectares in weeks, while fire-related emissions hit record annual highs. Tens of thousands of people were displaced, at least eight people died, and critical infrastructure was disrupted. Nearly 16,000 heat-related deaths were estimated by August 22. Climate change, land neglect, and land-use models prioritising corporate profit and tourism amplified fire risk, even as investment in prevention and firefighting was halved over 13 years.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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