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European Commission warns of need to adapt to era of extreme climate disasters
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has warned that the European Union must overhaul its civil protection systems to address an era of increasingly frequent, simultaneous, and severe climate-driven emergencies. Speaking from the European Emergency Response Centre, von der Leyen noted that climate change is making extreme weather events more volatile and unpredictable.
This summer, the EU's civil protection mechanism has been activated ten times due to wildfires since April. The scale of the response has been multinational, with teams from 25 countries deployed and nearly 800 firefighters pre-positioned in high-risk areas. Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib reported that approximately 300,000 people were evacuated this summer due to wildfires.
Commission data indicates that over 600,000 hectares have burned across the EU this year, a figure more than double the long-term average of the past two decades. The continent has also experienced four heatwaves since May, highlighting the growing pressure on national firefighting services.
Entities
European Commission · European Emergency Response Centre · European Union Civil Protection Mechanism · Hadja Lahbib · Ursula von der Leyen
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 6 SOURCES] The EU civil protection mechanism has been activated 10 times for wildfires since April. es.euronews.com · gr.euronews.com · hu.euronews.com · it.euronews.com · pt.euronews.com · +1 more
- [● 6 SOURCES] Nearly 800 firefighters were pre-positioned in high-risk areas. es.euronews.com · gr.euronews.com · hu.euronews.com · it.euronews.com · pt.euronews.com · +1 more
- [● 6 SOURCES] More than 600,000 hectares have burned across the EU this year. es.euronews.com · gr.euronews.com · hu.euronews.com · it.euronews.com · pt.euronews.com · +1 more
- [● 6 SOURCES] Teams from 25 countries were deployed during the summer. es.euronews.com · gr.euronews.com · hu.euronews.com · it.euronews.com · pt.euronews.com · +1 more
- [● 6 SOURCES] The EU must adapt its civil protection systems to handle more frequent and simultaneous emergencies. es.euronews.com · gr.euronews.com · hu.euronews.com · it.euronews.com · pt.euronews.com · +1 more
- [● 6 SOURCES] The amount of land burned this year is more than double the long-term average of the last two decades. es.euronews.com · gr.euronews.com · hu.euronews.com · it.euronews.com · pt.euronews.com · +1 more
- [● 6 SOURCES] Four heatwaves have been recorded in Europe since May. es.euronews.com · gr.euronews.com · hu.euronews.com · it.euronews.com · pt.euronews.com · +1 more
- [● 6 SOURCES] Approximately 300,000 people were evacuated this summer due to wildfires. es.euronews.com · gr.euronews.com · hu.euronews.com · it.euronews.com · pt.euronews.com · +1 more