Summary of Key Points
This summer, Europe has been hit by widespread heatwaves and droughts, leading to severe wildfires in several countries. In Belgium, the wildfire covered an area of 3,000 hectares, setting a new record for the country. Firefighting efforts mainly relied on aircraft, but the EU's air firefighting capabilities are inadequate due to a lack of reserves and an aging fleet, making it difficult to handle multiple fires simultaneously. Experts warn that the EU needs to balance climate mitigation efforts with the development of disaster response mechanisms, rather than focusing solely on emissions reduction while neglecting the improvement of infrastructure and systems for preventing disasters.
1. Wildfires Ravage Multiple European Countries, with Belgium Recording a Record-Breaking Incident
This summer's heatwaves and droughts have triggered a chain reaction of wildfires across Europe:
- Belgium: A nature reserve near the German border started burning on the 14th, and the area affected by the fire doubled to 3,000 hectares within 24 hours, becoming the largest wildfire in the country's history. Residents from two villages have been evacuated, and the fire has not yet been contained. The peatlands (which become highly flammable when dry) and pine forests have turned into kindling due to the high temperatures.
- France: More than 1,700 hectares of the Landes forest in the southwest of France have been burned, with 550 firefighters, military personnel, and six aircraft working to extinguish the flames; another fire is approaching the Belgian border.
- Spain: The wildfire in the province of Vizcaya has been burning for over a week, covering an area of 16,600 hectares (larger than that in Belgium), threatening a thousand-year-old monastery, and French reinforcements are on the way.
- Germany and Greece: The fire in the Hürtgenwald in Germany is largely under control, but efforts to extinguish the wildfire on the island of Skiros in Greece are still ongoing.
These wildfires have forced thousands of people to evacuate, with even farmers participating in the firefighting efforts.
2. Ground Firefighting Is Ineffective; Aircraft Become the Only Lifeline
Why aren't firefighters sent in directly? Experts explain that many fires occur in mountainous or protected areas with complex terrain, making it impossible for ground personnel to reach the fire sites. In such cases, aircraft are the only option:
- Aircraft can quickly collect water from nearby lakes or drop flame retardants—chemicals that prevent the fire from spreading—to the affected areas.
- France has used Airbus military transport planes capable of carrying 20 tons of flame retardant at a time, which is three times the capacity of regular firefighting aircraft, significantly improving efficiency.
- Belgium also relied entirely on aircraft; the EU dispatched three helicopters and two firefighting planes (from Sweden, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic), with additional support expected from Germany and Norway.
3. The EU's Air Firefighting Capacity Is Insufficient: An Aging Fleet and Limited Numbers
Although the EU has a civil protection mechanism to coordinate firefighting efforts among member states, the current situation is problematic:
- Limited numbers: There are only 22 firefighting aircraft and five helicopters available; an additional 18 are planned by 2028. However, when multiple countries in southern Europe experience fires simultaneously (as during the Bordeaux fire in France), these resources are far from enough.
- Aging fleet: Of France's 12 firefighting aircraft, only seven are operational, while the rest are either damaged or under repair.
- Shortage of trained personnel: Firefighting requires specialized pilots, and the EU has not adequately invested in training programs to meet these needs.
4. The EU Must Address Both Climate Mitigation and Disaster Prevention
Experts point out that the EU is focusing too much on reducing carbon emissions while neglecting the development of disaster response capabilities:
- Climate-related factors: High temperatures and droughts are direct causes of wildfires; for example, temperatures in Belgium reached 37 degrees Celsius, drying out the peatlands and making them highly flammable.
- Policy priorities: Professor Zhao Yongsheng from the University of International Business and Economics suggests that the EU should not prioritize emissions reduction at the expense of investing in disaster prevention infrastructure (such as purchasing more firefighting aircraft) and strengthening coordination among member states.
- Long-term solutions: Scientists recommend planting less flammable tree species, but in the short term, the EU's emergency response capabilities are indeed inadequate.
5. The EU's Coordination Mechanism Is Activated, But It’s Not Enough to Cope with Immediate Needs
Belgium activated the EU's civil protection mechanism, and support was promptly provided in the form of aircraft. However, this is only a temporary solution:
- Single countries cannot handle such large-scale wildfires on their own and rely on EU coordination.
- The existing reserves are insufficient; for instance, with wildfires covering extensive areas like Spain's, the EU's available aircraft are limited, forcing reliance on reinforcements from other countries.
- Future actions include increasing the number of firefighting aircraft, upgrading older ones, and training more specialized pilots to improve the EU's response time to multiple disasters.
In summary, the wildfires in Europe highlight the growing frequency of climate-related disasters, and the EU's response capabilities are not keeping up. Simply reducing carbon emissions is not enough; practical issues such as the availability of firefighting aircraft and the readiness of firefighters must also be addressed.