This weekly round-up brings you key climate news from the past seven days, including the devastating toll of wildfires in Greece and a Guardian investigation revealing that a non-profit linked to Shell donated to anti-climate groups linked to Project 2025.
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1. Thousands Flee as Wildfires Rage Across Athens Suburbs Amid Hottest Summer on Record
Greece’s worst wildfire so far this year began spreading into Athens suburbs on Monday after first igniting in the northern fringes of the capital on Sunday afternoon, forcing thousands of residents and tourists to flee.
A spokesperson for the European Commission said on Monday that “[t]he EU civil protection mechanism was activated upon request of the Greek authorities.” In a post on X, the EU civil protection unit said it had mobilized two firefighting planes from its fleet in Italy, one helicopter from France, and ground firefighting teams from Czechia and Romania. Meanwhile, local authorities deployed more than 700 local firefighters, 199 fire engines and 35 waterbombing aircrafts, according to the BBC.
Like many other parts of the world, Greece has seen a notable increase in temperatures in recent years. The country just had its hottest June and July on record. Historical data suggests that the average temperature for July has increased by 2.5C between 1960 and now, with three of the four warmest July months in at least the last 80 years occurring in the past four years.
Read more here.
2. Non-Profit Linked to Oil Giant Shell Donated to Anti-Climate Conservative Groups Behind Project 2025, Investigation Reveals
Tax records analyzed by the Guardian show that the Shell USA Company Foundation sent $544,010 between 2013 and 2022 to several conservative and religious organizations advocating against LGBTQ+ and abortion rights, and denying climate change.
Among the recipients are fourteen groups figuring on the board of Project 2025, a political initiative that promotes conservative and right-wing policies to reshape the US federal government and consolidate Donald Trump’s executive power if he wins the upcoming presidential election. While Trump has distanced himself from the conservative blueprint, it was revealed that more than 100 people who worked for his administration contributed to it.
According to the Guardian, the Shell USA Company Foundation, operated by Shell’s American subsidiary, “helps employees boost their charitable giving to non-profits,” matching them by up to $7,500. A spokesperson told the newspaper that the foundation “does not endorse any organization” and employees donations are “not directed by the company.”
Read more here.
3. Extreme Heat Killed Nearly 48,000 People in Europe Last Year: Study
Nearly 48,000 people died in Europe last year due to extreme heat, according to a new study that argues heat-related mortality would have been 80% higher had it not been for modern-day adaptation measures. In the study period 2014-2023, only 2022 surpassed last year in terms of heat-related deaths with over 60,000 casualties.
Of the 47,690 estimated deaths in 2023, 47,312 occurred between late May and early October, the hottest months of the year, and mostly in Southern European countries including Greece, Bulgaria, Italy, Spain, Cyprus, and Portugal. The study, published Monday in Nature Medicine, also found that women and the elderly were disproportionally affected.
Heat-related mortality in Europe has increased by around 30% in the past two decades, while heat-related deaths are estimated to have increased in 94% of the European regions monitored.
Read more here.
4. Destructive Wildfires At Least Three Times More Likely Due to Climate Change, Report Finds
Published Wednesday in the journal Earth System Science Data (ESSD), the inaugural State of Wildfires report looked at large-scale wildfire events during the 2023-24 season. Despite being “slightly below average” in terms of area burnt compared to previous seasons, the total amount of carbon emissions generated from all fire events combined last year was 16% above average, totalling 8.6 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2), the analysis revealed.
Almost a quarter of this increase can be attributed to Canada’s record-breaking fire season. Last year, nearly 6,600 blazes burnt across 45 million acres, 5% of the entire forest area of Canada and roughly seven times the annual average, affecting 230,000 people. According to the EU-funded Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), fire carbon emissions totalled 480 megatonnes, over nine times the historical average, with toxic smoke reaching as far as the US East Coast.
According to the report, which is set to be published every year, climate change increased the probability of high fire weather conditions, long-term average burned area, and extreme burned area during the 2023/24 season. The report found that anthropogenic influence on the climate system made the fires in Canada at least three times more likely as it increased the risk of high fire weather.
Read more here.
5. Australia’s Fossil Fuel Exports Ranked 2nd For Climate Footprint Globally, Report Finds
Australia’s fossil fuel exports contribute to global emissions more than any other country aside from Russia, owing particularly to the footprint of coal exports, according to a new report that suggests emissions will rise by 50% over the next decade.
The country’s climate footprint – roughly 4.5% of global fossil carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, with 80% coming from coal and gas exports – “far exceeds” its economic size and population, the report says. Without fossil fuel exports, the country’s contribution to global emissions would be around 1%. Australia also remains the country with one of the highest per-capita emissions for all greenhouse gases, double that of China and nine times larger than India, the world’s first and third largest emitters, respectively.
The country ranked third in the world for fossil exports in 2021, behind only Russia and the US. In 2022, it accounted for 52% of global metallurgical coal exports and 17% of global thermal coal exports.
Read more here.
