Fires in Spain: Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez wants a "national pact to face the climate emergency"
Faced with the scale of the damage caused by the fires in Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced on Sunday, August 17 , "a national pact to address the climate emergency."
It will be about "mitigating the effects of climate change and adapting to it," he explained during a visit to the fire coordination center in Ourense, in Galicia (northwestern tip), one of the regions most affected by forest fires this summer. He promised to have the bases of this "pact" in place by September.
"Having fires of this magnitude, having "Dana" [name of the meteorological phenomenon that gave rise to the deadly floods that hit the Valencia region at the end of October 2024] like we experience in autumn or winter, shows that the climate emergency affecting the world is accelerating, worsening, especially in the Iberian Peninsula."
Conduct in-depth reflection"The fires will be extinguished, the reconstruction of all affected areas will be addressed, but I believe that we must also carry out a fundamental reflection, a strategy that anticipates a better response," continues the Prime Minister, who assures that he wants to "do everything possible and even more" so that the victims of the fires return to "a normal life."
"Faced with the worsening and acceleration of the effects of climate change in [his] country," the socialist leader considered that this pact would concern "all public administrations, but not only. Parliamentary groups, the whole of civil society, science, businesses, unions, ultimately, the whole country."
This pact would provide "resources to public officials, to civil servants, not only when the fire occurs, but also beforehand, so that they can respond much more effectively . " "The response to the fires ravaging Spain is there," he said at a press conference.
Political crisisThe fires have been at the heart of the political debate in recent days in a country where their management is primarily the responsibility of the regions, but where the central government can be called upon to intervene when the situation worsens. The two main parties have constantly criticized each other, claiming they lack the resources and others for not having requested them.
The regional presidents of Galicia, Castile and Leon and Extremadura – the three regions most ravaged by the fire – all from the Popular Party (PP, conservative), have asked the government for additional reinforcements, with the sending of more soldiers.
Around 100 marines have been called in to support the emergency military unit in the northwest of the country, the Ministry of Defense announced in a statement.
More than 70,000 hectares have burnedMore than 70,000 hectares have burned in Spain in recent days and more than 157,000 since the beginning of the year, according to the European Forest Fire Information System (Effis), figures that are constantly increasing.
According to the latest figures from the Galician authorities, the region has seen 51,000 hectares go up in smoke. It was in this area that the Civil Guard rescued a person on Sunday, August 17, who was trying to dig a firebreak trench with his tractor and found himself surrounded by flames.
Pedro Sanchez is then due to travel to Castile and Leon, a region in mourning following the deaths of two young volunteers in their thirties who died trying to extinguish the fires. Several thousand people remain evacuated there, according to emergency services, and the Castile and Leon authorities warned on Sunday of "high levels of particles" in the air, "a direct consequence of emissions caused by the numerous fires."
The Aemet meteorological agency reported "extraordinarily high temperatures" and "extreme fire danger across most of the country." On X, the agency posted satellite images showing "smoke from fires in the northwest of the peninsula and suspended dust from the desert (...) leaving a whitish color in the sky."
The World with AFP
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