大象传媒

Wildfires caused by extreme heat have forced thousands to evacuate their homes across Europe. In Spain wildfires have spread across the country as temperatures soar to the 45 Celsius mark in recent days. Professor Enrique Sanchez is the dean of the faculty of environmental sciences and biochemistry at the university of Castilla鈥揕a Mancha in Toledo. He describes the current situation and says "with these temperatures any small thing that could start a fire, then it becomes a very strong problem". Extreme heat and wildfires is something Europe will need to get used to in the coming years. It is unlikely that temperatures are going to decrease and Prof Sanchez says "heatwaves or events with high temperatures will become more and more common". In the short-term, prof Sanchez says, governments can advice for people not to go out in the middle of the day but in the medium and long term authorities and people need to act against climate change.

(Photo: Trees engulfed by flames during a forest fire in Cebreros, Avila, Spain. Credit: Getty Images)