"Check against delivery" This summer has tested us. Almost 700,000 hectares have already burned across the EU, more land than the yearly average of the past two decades and the season is not over yet. Firefighters and pilots lost their lives doing their duty. This wildfire season has been exceptional for three reasons. First, the fires started earlier. The Netherlands and Czechia were already battling flames at the end of April. This makes the wildfire season much longer. Second, the wildfire map is moving north. Wildfires are no longer a “southern problem”. We are seeing them as far north as Germany, Scotland, Belgium, even Greenland. Third, these fires have threatened major cities, near Madrid and Bordeaux, forcing 300,000 people from their homes. In France alone, it was the largest evacuation since the Second World War. This confirms what we already knew. No country, no matter how rich or how powerful, can fight nature alone. Climate change is no longer knocking on Europe's door. It is already inside. So we joined forces and showed what Europe is made of. Solidarity in action. Europe answered every call for help. Every one. Nearly 800 firefighters from 14 European countries were pre-positioned in six high-risk States, more than three times the number in 2022. When one country is on fire, all of Europe answers. Our Civil Protection Mechanism was activated ten times for wildfires inside Europe and twice beyond Europe. Our Emergency Centre coordinated 40 aircraft and 18 ground teams. Boots on the ground, planes in the air, neighbours helping neighbours. I saw firsthand what that actually means. EU firefighters wearing different uniforms, speaking different languages, but all fighting the same fire, leaving their own homes to protect someone else's home. This solidarity did not stop at our borders. It crossed oceans. This summer, we supported Venezuela, Colombia, and now Nepal. Let me take this occasion to express once more my admiration and my gratitude: t
Save the Children UK Alumni Association
The Alumni Association of SC UK