The Government will create an inter-ministerial commission on climate change to address forest fires.

Degaña (Asturias), Aug 22 (EFE).- Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has announced the activation of the "path" toward a state pact against forest fires in this country after announcing the launch of an inter-ministerial committee on climate change to address this emergency and noting that this issue will be the focus of the next meeting of the Conference of Presidents.

The president appeared before the media from the Degaña Advanced Command Post (Asturias), where the greatest efforts of the Asturian firefighting teams are concentrated. Regarding this commission, which will be launched next Tuesday, he said that it will be responsible, along with the Third Vice President and Minister for the Ecological Transition, for jointly leading, with the Ministry of the Interior, everything that represents the path to achieving this State pact.

Also present on the visit with Pedro Sánchez were figures such as the President of the Principality of Asturias, Adrián Barbón; the Minister for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, Sara Aagesen; the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska; and the Government Delegate in Asturias, Adriana Lastra.

In his statement, Sánchez also approved a proposal by Barbón that the Conference of Presidents and Regional Leaders, to be held in Asturias before the end of the year, be "an important element of this State pact against the climate emergency" to "define and implement all the policies related to prevention, response, and subsequent reconstruction."

The president expressed his gratitude to the Director General of Civil Protection, Virginia Barcones, whom he wished to "congratulate for her work during all these long hours and days and long nights, during which she has been on the front line," after being harshly criticized by the People's Party (PP) on Thursday.

Defends comprehensive management

On his fourth visit to fire-affected areas in the country, Pedro Sánchez highlighted the "extraordinary coordination and collaboration" between the central government and the Principality of Asturias, governed by the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) and, following complaints from other regions about the PP in recent days, "in the fight" against the fires that "are affecting this region."

He emphasized the importance of addressing these disasters with comprehensive management in order to "reduce, limit, and mitigate the damaging effects that fires have on our territory."

The two dark weeks of fires: more land burned in 14 days than in any other year this century.

Also, as is customary, he thanked the media "for their work, because the public service information they are providing to citizens in such difficult times as the ones we are facing is absolutely necessary."

After lamenting the occurrence of such "calamities" in reference to the wave of fires and speaking of unprecedented temperatures for so long, Sánchez reiterated, as he announced the other day during his visit to Zamora, that he will make a declaration next Tuesday regarding the areas affected by a Civil Protection disaster.

The role of the "public" in the face of this type of events

In this regard, he emphasized: "Public authorities can provide effective tools and instruments to protect the security of our fellow citizens and also defend our territory."

The government, he said, has deployed "every single force" at its disposal and noted that there are currently more than 3,400 members of the UME (Union of Emergency Units), 500 members of the Army, more than 500 vehicles, and the infrastructure "necessary to combat the fires" deployed throughout Spain.

In addition, 6,000 Civil Guard and National Police personnel and 10 forest fire brigades led by the Ministry of Ecological Transition are also available, "in addition to other capabilities that are being made available to all areas affected by the fires."

He also highlighted the national response mechanism in the fight against the fires, "where this solidarity has effectively been exercised by other autonomous communities in the transfer of resources."

Thanks for European solidarity

Sánchez took the opportunity to once again thank the countries that are helping to put out the fires in Spain through the European Civil Protection mechanism; "they are showing what Europe means," he declared.

"Europe is all about this: solidarity, commitment, and standing strong through thick and thin. And there are countries that have exercised and demonstrated that solidarity, as Spain did during the major fires it suffered, for example, Portugal, or Greece just a few years ago."

'Open Letter: The False Debate on Environmentalism and Fires.' By Mar González and Joserra Becerra (co-spokespersons for Verdes Equo)

Sánchez emphasized that the high temperatures of recent days should lead to reflection on the fact that "the climate emergency is progressing at an ever-increasing pace, with ever-increasing frequency," with "more serious" effects.

In his opinion, it would be necessary to "resize and redefine all aspects related to climate change mitigation and adaptation," something the government "has been working on and will continue to work on over the coming months and years" with this state pact to combat the climate emergency.