Summer of Heat, Fires and Storms Is a Reckoning for Europe on Climate

As Europe’s climate warms, even moorlands and forests in the Cairngorms, in the Scottish Highlands, have fallen victim to rapidly spreading flames.

Sparked by a historic and prolonged heatwave, these fires are not merely natural disasters; they are fierce signs of an accelerating climate breakdown.

The continent is experiencing some of its biggest fires and highest temperatures ever. Residents are fleeing, leaders are struggling to respond and “it will get worse,” one climate expert said.