Stanford, California: Fires in France and Spain this summer have had devastating impacts. More than 2.2 lakh people fled flames west of Bordeaux. Outside Madrid, fires scorched an area twice the size of the capital and, by end-July, had driven nearly 90,000 people from their homes. The people who lost homes and livelihoods deserve sympathy - and far better fire policy.
What they do not need is the climate sermon that now follows every plume of smoke. Spain's PM Pedro Sanchez called the fires a 'painful expression' of climate change. The British and Spanish governments rushed out a joint statement declaring that 'climate change was now a national security emergency'. The verdict was in even while houses burned: only ending fossil fuels can put out the flames.
