AFP UK

As heart-stopping images of fires and floods dominate news cycles worldwide, the UN’s climate science panel will unveil on Monday its much-anticipated projections for temperature and sea-level rises less than three months before a crucial climate summit in Scotland.

After two weeks of virtual negotiations, 195 nations approved the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) comprehensive assessment of past and future warming on Friday in the form of a “summary for policymakers”.

The text — vetted and approved line by line, word by word — is likely to paint a grim picture of accelerating climate change and dire threats on the horizon.

On the heels of deadly floods in India, China and northern Europe as well as asphalt-melting heatwaves in North America and southern Europe, the IPCC’s report is the first so-called assessment report since 2014. 

Both the world and the science have changed a lot since then.

With increasingly sophisticated technology allowing scientists to measure climate change and predict its future path, the report will project global temperature changes until the end of the century under different emissions scenarios.

Based almost entirely on published research, it could forecast — even under optimistic scenarios — a temporary “overshoot” of the 1.5 degrees Celsius target of the Paris Agreement, and revise upwards its estimates for long-term sea-level rise.

It is also expected to reflect huge progress in so-called attribution science, which allows experts to link individual extreme weather events directly to man-made climate change.

While the underlying IPCC report is purely scientific, the summary for policymakers is negotiated by national representatives, and therefore subject to competing priorities. 

Belgian climate physicist and former IPCC co-chair Jean-Pascal Ypersele, who was party to the negotiations, said the talks were guided by the underlying science.

“I can testify that the authors of the #ClimateReport had the last word on every sentence in the SPM, which really was a Summary FOR (and not BY) policymakers,” he said on Twitter.

The report comes less than three months before the COP26 climate talks in Glasgow, which are seen as vital for humanity’s chance of limiting the worst impacts of global warming.

“This is going to be the starkest warning yet that human behaviour is alarmingly accelerating global warming and this is why COP26 has to be the moment we get this right,” COP26 President Alok Sharma said over the weekend.

“We can’t afford to wait two years, five years, 10 years -– this is the moment,” he told a British newspaper. 

French climatologist Corinne Le Quere congratulated the delegates on Friday for finalising “the text of what I think will be one of the most important scientific reports ever published”.

There will be two further parts to the IPCC’s latest round of climate assessments, known as AR6.

A working group report on climate impacts, a draft of which was exclusively obtained by AFP, is set for release in February 2022.

Another report focusing on solutions for reducing emissions and adapting to climate change will be out the following month.

Hundreds of Greek islanders packed up their belongings and fled their homes on the Greek island of Evia on Sunday as wildfires continued to rage after a record heatwave.

Greece and neighbouring Turkey have been battling the devastating fires for nearly two weeks, with 10 people confirmed dead and dozens needing hospital treatment.

While rain brought some respite from the blazes in Turkey over the weekend, Greece continues to suffer a hot, dry summer.

“They burnt our paradise,” 46-year-old islander Triantafyllos Konstantinos told AFP. “We are done.”

The blazes have destroyed homes and reduced thousands of hectares of land to ash on Evia, Greece’s second-largest island just northeast of the capital Athens.

Civil protection deputy minister Nikos Hardalias said a fire front in the north of Evia was being pushed by strong winds towards beach villages.

“We have ahead of us another difficult evening, another difficult night,” he said, adding that 17 aircraft were helping to fight the fires on Evia. 

However, fires in the southwestern Peloponnese region and in a northern suburb of Athens had abated, he added.

– ‘In God’s hands’ –

The rugged landscape and dense pine forests on Evia that so appeal to tourists are helping to spread the flames and make the work of firefighters almost impossible. 

Even waterbombing planes are struggling, with an official telling local media much of the water was evaporating before it reached the ground.

Hundreds of people have already fled the island and another 349 were taken to safety early on Sunday, the coast guard said. 

In Pefki village, young people carried older and disabled people over the sand on to a ferry.

Elsewhere, villagers joined in the battle against the flames, helping firefighters.

“We are in the hands of God,” 26-year-old Evia resident Yannis Selimis told AFP. “The state is absent. If people leave, the villages will burn for sure.”

Local officials were critical of the efforts to control the fires, which erupted on the island on Tuesday.

“I have no more voice left to ask for more aircraft. I can’t stand this situation,” local mayor Giorgos Tsapourniotis told Skai TV on Saturday.

Many villages were saved only because young people ignored evacuation orders and stayed on to keep the fires away from their homes, he added.

Alexis Tsipras, leader of the main opposition Syriza party, said the government did not appear to be listening to local concerns about a lack of coordination and equipment.

“Is there a management plan? HOW LONG will this drama drag on?” he wrote in a tweet.

Local officials were struggling to shelter those forced to flee their homes. 

Hardalias said on Saturday that provisional shelter had been provided to 2,000 people evacuated from the island.

– ‘Trying times’ –

From July 29 to August 7, 56,655 hectares (140,000 acres) were burnt in Greece, according to the European Forest Fire Information System. The average area burnt over the same 10 summer days between 2008 and 2020 was 1,700 hectares.

Britain, France, Spain and other countries have answered Greece’s appeal for help, and on Sunday, Serbia announced it was sending 13 vehicles with 37 firefighters and three firefighting helicopters.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis thanked foreign countries for their help on Sunday. 

“On behalf of the Greek people, I would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to all the countries that have sent assistance and resources to help fight the wildfires,” he tweeted.

“We thank you for standing by Greece during these trying times.” 

Police said on Sunday they had arrested at least 10 people for arson, among them three young men in Pireaus for attempting to start a fire in nearby Perama.

Hundreds of Greek islanders packed up their belongings and fled their homes on the Greek island of Evia on Sunday as wildfires continued to rage after a record heatwave.

Greece and neighbouring Turkey have been battling the devastating fires for nearly two weeks, with 10 people confirmed dead and dozens needing hospital treatment.

While rain brought some respite from the blazes in Turkey over the weekend, Greece continues to suffer a hot, dry summer.

“They burnt our paradise,” 46-year-old islander Triantafyllos Konstantinos told AFP. “We are done.”

The blazes have destroyed homes and reduced thousands of hectares of land to ash on Evia, Greece’s second-largest island just northeast of the capital Athens.

Civil protection deputy minister Nikos Hardalias said a fire front in the north of Evia was being pushed by strong winds towards beach villages.

“We have ahead of us another difficult evening, another difficult night,” he said, adding that 17 aircraft were helping to fight the fires on Evia. 

However, fires in the southwestern Peloponnese region and in a northern suburb of Athens had abated, he added.

– ‘In God’s hands’ –

The rugged landscape and dense pine forests on Evia that so appeal to tourists are helping to spread the flames and make the work of firefighters almost impossible. 

Even waterbombing planes are struggling, with an official telling local media much of the water was evaporating before it reached the ground.

Hundreds of people have already fled the island and another 349 were taken to safety early on Sunday, the coast guard said. 

In Pefki village, young people carried older and disabled people over the sand on to a ferry.

Elsewhere, villagers joined in the battle against the flames, helping firefighters.

“We are in the hands of God,” 26-year-old Evia resident Yannis Selimis told AFP. “The state is absent. If people leave, the villages will burn for sure.”

Local officials were critical of the efforts to control the fires, which erupted on the island on Tuesday.

“I have no more voice left to ask for more aircraft. I can’t stand this situation,” local mayor Giorgos Tsapourniotis told Skai TV on Saturday.

Many villages were saved only because young people ignored evacuation orders and stayed on to keep the fires away from their homes, he added.

Alexis Tsipras, leader of the main opposition Syriza party, said the government did not appear to be listening to local concerns about a lack of coordination and equipment.

“Is there a management plan? HOW LONG will this drama drag on?” he wrote in a tweet.

Local officials were struggling to shelter those forced to flee their homes. 

Hardalias said on Saturday that provisional shelter had been provided to 2,000 people evacuated from the island.

– ‘Trying times’ –

From July 29 to August 7, 56,655 hectares (140,000 acres) were burnt in Greece, according to the European Forest Fire Information System. The average area burnt over the same 10 summer days between 2008 and 2020 was 1,700 hectares.

Britain, France, Spain and other countries have answered Greece’s appeal for help, and on Sunday, Serbia announced it was sending 13 vehicles with 37 firefighters and three firefighting helicopters.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis thanked foreign countries for their help on Sunday. 

“On behalf of the Greek people, I would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to all the countries that have sent assistance and resources to help fight the wildfires,” he tweeted.

“We thank you for standing by Greece during these trying times.” 

Police said on Sunday they had arrested at least 10 people for arson, among them three young men in Pireaus for attempting to start a fire in nearby Perama.

In the valleys of central California, the search for water has turned into an all-out obsession as the region suffers through a drought that could threaten the US food supply.

Residents have watched with dismay as verdant fields have turned into brown, dusty plains, leaving shriveled trees, dying plants and exasperated farmers. 

Much of California, and of the broader US West, has suffered through years of lighter-than-usual precipitation and a particularly dry winter.

State and local authorities, fearful that there may not be enough water for city dwellers or wildlife, have abruptly cut supplies to farms, provoking anger and consternation.

Along the roads between major farming operations, billboards have popped up everywhere, urging: “Save California’s Water.” They accuse the authorities of “dumping… our water in the ocean.”

Growers complain that the state’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, is strangling them under a mountain of pointless restrictions, leaving them unable to fill their usual role of supplying America’s supermarkets. 

– ‘Starving’ the world –

“I had two wells dry up last week,” 28-year-old Nick Foglio, a fourth-generation farmer and feed broker, told AFP. He added that he has “2,000 acres (800 hectares) of alfalfa going dry.”

Standing in a dusty field near Fresno, he said he worries that with “the wrong political agenda, we’re simply going to starve ourselves and probably the rest of the world.”

California authorities don’t seem to be hearing that message.

Reacting to dire signs of a worsening climate crisis, they passed new emergency legislation last week to prevent thousands of people — notably farmers — from diverting streams or rivers.

“In a year when Mother Nature doesn’t make it rain, there is no water for them,” said Jeanine Jones, a manager with the California Department of Water Resources.

– A ‘devastating’ situation –

When the authorities cut off water supplies, farmers find themselves forced to rely on wells, dug deep into the ground at costs of several thousand dollars. They draw groundwater from subsurface pools hundreds of feet deep. But even they eventually run dry.

“The situation is pretty terrible,” said Liset Garcia, who relied on well water to irrigate half her 20-acre farm — until it dried up.

She has been waiting for weeks for a well-drilling service — which has more work than it can handle — to make it to her farm in hopes of finding even a small new supply of water deep in the ground.

Sitting in her vegetable stand near the town of Reedley, the 30-year-old farmer greets clients with enthusiasm that belies the ravages her farm has suffered in a warming world.

Heat has destroyed several of her crops — which have “literally baked under the sun.”

“There’s a lot of foliage that is already burnt and pretty much just crisped up,” as well as “fruit not getting a size — not getting its juiciness and sweetness,” she said, wearing a checked shirt and a baseball hat marked “Sweet Girl Farms.”

“It becomes even a luxury to have food,” she said with a grimace. “Does that sound insane?”

Climate change, scientists say, will even more extreme and frequent episodes of drought — further jeopardizing food security.

Feeding America in these conditions will be a challenge. But the region may already have found one partial savior.

Under leaden skies, workers in uncultivated fields recently uncrated huge boxes. Inside were thousands of solar panels — offering a new business opportunity and the promise of some relief for a region in pain. 

In the valleys of central California, the search for water has turned into an all-out obsession as the region suffers through a drought that could threaten the US food supply.

Residents have watched with dismay as verdant fields have turned into brown, dusty plains, leaving shriveled trees, dying plants and exasperated farmers. 

Much of California, and of the broader US West, has suffered through years of lighter-than-usual precipitation and a particularly dry winter.

State and local authorities, fearful that there may not be enough water for city dwellers or wildlife, have abruptly cut supplies to farms, provoking anger and consternation.

Along the roads between major farming operations, billboards have popped up everywhere, urging: “Save California’s Water.” They accuse the authorities of “dumping… our water in the ocean.”

Growers complain that the state’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, is strangling them under a mountain of pointless restrictions, leaving them unable to fill their usual role of supplying America’s supermarkets. 

– ‘Starving’ the world –

“I had two wells dry up last week,” 28-year-old Nick Foglio, a fourth-generation farmer and feed broker, told AFP. He added that he has “2,000 acres (800 hectares) of alfalfa going dry.”

Standing in a dusty field near Fresno, he said he worries that with “the wrong political agenda, we’re simply going to starve ourselves and probably the rest of the world.”

California authorities don’t seem to be hearing that message.

Reacting to dire signs of a worsening climate crisis, they passed new emergency legislation last week to prevent thousands of people — notably farmers — from diverting streams or rivers.

“In a year when Mother Nature doesn’t make it rain, there is no water for them,” said Jeanine Jones, a manager with the California Department of Water Resources.

– A ‘devastating’ situation –

When the authorities cut off water supplies, farmers find themselves forced to rely on wells, dug deep into the ground at costs of several thousand dollars. They draw groundwater from subsurface pools hundreds of feet deep. But even they eventually run dry.

“The situation is pretty terrible,” said Liset Garcia, who relied on well water to irrigate half her 20-acre farm — until it dried up.

She has been waiting for weeks for a well-drilling service — which has more work than it can handle — to make it to her farm in hopes of finding even a small new supply of water deep in the ground.

Sitting in her vegetable stand near the town of Reedley, the 30-year-old farmer greets clients with enthusiasm that belies the ravages her farm has suffered in a warming world.

Heat has destroyed several of her crops — which have “literally baked under the sun.”

“There’s a lot of foliage that is already burnt and pretty much just crisped up,” as well as “fruit not getting a size — not getting its juiciness and sweetness,” she said, wearing a checked shirt and a baseball hat marked “Sweet Girl Farms.”

“It becomes even a luxury to have food,” she said with a grimace. “Does that sound insane?”

Climate change, scientists say, will even more extreme and frequent episodes of drought — further jeopardizing food security.

Feeding America in these conditions will be a challenge. But the region may already have found one partial savior.

Under leaden skies, workers in uncultivated fields recently uncrated huge boxes. Inside were thousands of solar panels — offering a new business opportunity and the promise of some relief for a region in pain. 

The monstrous Dixie Fire in northern California has grown to become the second-largest wildfire in state history, authorities said Sunday, with three people reported missing and thousands fleeing the advancing flames.

As of Sunday, the fire had destroyed 463,477 acres (187,562 hectares), up from the previous day’s 447,723 acres. It now covers an area larger than Los Angeles.

The Dixie blaze is the largest active wildfire in the United States, but one of only 11 major wildfires in California.

Over the weekend, it surpassed the 2018 Mendocino Complex Fire to make it the second-worst fire in state history.

“It was like driving out of a war zone that you see in a movie,” Tami Kugler told AFP, sitting beside her tent at an evacuation station after fleeing the historic town of Greenville before it burned down.

“My neighborhood is gone — I mean gone, gone. Everybody I care and love about that’s in that neighborhood, their homes are gone,” she said, adding: “I didn’t have insurance.”

On Saturday, Governor Gavin Newsom visited the charred remains of Greenville, expressing his “deep gratitude” to the teams fighting the flames.

He said authorities had to devote more resources to managing forests and preventing fires.

But he added that “the dries are getting a lot drier, it is hotter than it has ever been… we need to acknowledge just straight up these are climate-induced wildfires.”

Climate change amplifies droughts, creating ideal conditions for wildfires to spread out of control and inflict unprecedented material and environmental damage.

The Dixie blaze, which on Saturday left three firefighters injured, remained 21 percent contained Sunday, unchanged from the day before, the CalFire website reported.

Crews estimate the fire, which began July 13, will not finally be extinguished for two weeks.

– Higher temperatures forecast –

Weak winds and higher humidity have provided some succor to firefighters, but they are bracing for higher temperatures expected to exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius) in the coming days.

Heavy smoke was making driving hazardous for fire crews in some areas, and steep trails also made access difficult.

The state’s eight largest wildfires have all come since December 2017. The still-blackened scars of previous fires have aided Dixie Fire crews at times, reducing available fuel.

Thousands of residents have fled the area, many finding temporary housing — even living in tents, and often unsure whether their homes have survived.

At an evacuation site under smoky skies in Susanville, exhausted families sat in folding chairs beside tents and vehicles packed with belongings grabbed from their abandoned homes.

The Plumas County sheriff’s office said it was still searching for three people listed as missing, after two others were found over the weekend.

The Dixie Fire has already destroyed about 400 structures — gutting Greenville — and CalFire said workers and equipment were being deployed to save homes in the small town of Crescent Mills, three miles (five kilometers) southeast of Greenville.

More than 5,000 personnel are now battling the Dixie blaze.

Despite repeated evacuation orders from the authorities, some residents have refused to flee, preferring to try to fight the fire on their own rather than leave their property.

By late July, the number of acres burned in California was up more than 250 percent from 2020 — itself the worst year of wildfires in the state’s modern history.

A long-term drought that scientists say is driven by climate change has left much of the western United States and Canada parched — and vulnerable to explosive and highly destructive fires.

A preliminary investigation has suggested the Dixie Fire was started when a tree fell on a power cable owned by regional utility Pacific Gas & Company (PG&E), a private operator that was earlier blamed for the Camp Fire in 2018, which killed 86 people.

The monstrous Dixie Fire in northern California has grown to become the second-largest wildfire in state history, authorities said Sunday, with three people reported missing and thousands fleeing the advancing flames.

As of Sunday, the fire had destroyed 463,477 acres (187,562 hectares), up from the previous day’s 447,723 acres. It now covers an area larger than Los Angeles.

The Dixie blaze is the largest active wildfire in the United States, but one of only 11 major wildfires in California.

Over the weekend, it surpassed the 2018 Mendocino Complex Fire to make it the second-worst fire in state history.

On Saturday, Governor Gavin Newsom visited the burnt-out historic town of Greenville, expressing his “deep gratitude” to the teams fighting the flames.

He said authorities had to devote more resources to managing forests and preventing fires.

But he added that “the dries are getting a lot drier, it is hotter than it has ever been… we need to acknowledge just straight up these are climate-induced wildfires.”

Climate change amplifies droughts which dry out regions, creating ideal conditions for wildfires to spread out-of-control and inflict unprecedented material and environmental damage.

The Dixie blaze, which on Saturday left three firefighters injured, remained 21 percent contained Sunday, unchanged from the day before, the CalFire website reported.

Crews estimate the fire, which began July 13, will not finally be extinguished for two weeks.

– Higher temperatures forecast –

Weak winds and higher humidity have provided some succor to firefighters, but they are bracing for higher temperatures expected to exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius) in the coming days.

Heavy smoke was making driving hazardous for fire crews in some areas, and steep trails also made access difficult.

The state’s eight largest wildfires have all come since December 2017. The still-blackened scars of previous fires have aided Dixie Fire crews at times, reducing available fuel.

Thousands of residents have fled the area, many finding temporary housing — even living in tents, and often unsure whether their homes have survived.

The Plumas County sheriff’s office said it was still searching for three people listed as missing, after two others were found over the weekend.

The Dixie Fire has already destroyed about 400 structures — gutting Greenville — and CalFire said workers and equipment were being deployed to save homes in the small town of Crescent Mills, three miles (five kilometers) southeast of Greenville.

More than 5,000 personnel are now battling the Dixie blaze.

Despite repeated evacuation orders from the authorities, some residents have refused to flee, preferring to try to fight the fire on their own rather than leave their property.

By late July, the number of acres burned in California was up more than 250 percent from 2020 — itself the worst year of wildfires in the state’s modern history.

A long-term drought that scientists say is driven by climate change has left much of the western United States and Canada parched — and vulnerable to explosive and highly destructive fires.

A preliminary investigation has suggested the Dixie Fire was started when a tree fell on a power cable owned by regional utility Pacific Gas & Company (PG&E), a private operator that was earlier blamed for the Camp Fire in 2018, which killed 86 people.

Hundreds of Greek islanders packed up their belongings and fled their homes on the Greek island of Evia on Sunday as wildfires continued to rage after a record heatwave.

Greece and neighbouring Turkey have been battling the devastating fires for nearly two weeks, with 10 people confirmed dead and dozens needing hospital treatment.

While rain brought some respite from the blazes in Turkey over the weekend, Greece continues to suffer a hot, dry summer.

“They burnt our paradise,” 46-year-old islander Triantafyllos Konstantinos told AFP. “We are done.”

The blazes have destroyed homes and reduced thousands of hectares of land to ash on Evia, Greece’s second-largest island just northeast of the capital Athens.

Civil protection deputy minister Nikos Hardalias said a fire front in the north of Evia was being pushed by strong winds towards beach villages.

“We have ahead of us another difficult evening, another difficult night,” he said, adding that 17 aircraft were helping to fight the fires on Evia. 

However, fires in the southwestern Peloponnese region and in a northern suburb of Athens had abated, he added.

– ‘In God’s hands’ –

The rugged landscape and dense pine forests on Evia that so appeal to tourists are helping to spread the flames and make the work of firefighters almost impossible. 

Even waterbombing planes are struggling, with an official telling local media much of the water was evaporating before it reached the ground.

Hundreds of people have already fled the island and another 349 were taken to safety early on Sunday, the coast guard said. 

In Pefki village, young people carried older and disabled people over the sand on to a ferry.

Elsewhere, villagers joined in the battle against the flames, helping firefighters.

“We are in the hands of God,” 26-year-old Evia resident Yannis Selimis told AFP. “The state is absent. If people leave, the villages will burn for sure.”

Local officials were critical of the efforts to control the fires, which erupted on the island on Tuesday.

“I have no more voice left to ask for more aircraft. I can’t stand this situation,” local mayor Giorgos Tsapourniotis told Skai TV on Saturday.

Many villages were saved only because young people ignored evacuation orders and stayed on to keep the fires away from their homes, he added.

Alexis Tsipras, leader of the main opposition Syriza party, said the government did not appear to be listening to local concerns about a lack of coordination and equipment.

“Is there a management plan? HOW LONG will this drama drag on?” he wrote in a tweet.

Local officials were struggling to shelter those forced to flee their homes. 

Hardalias said on Saturday that provisional shelter had been provided to 2,000 people evacuated from the island.

– ‘Trying times’ –

From July 29 to August 7, 56,655 hectares (140,000 acres) were burnt in Greece, according to the European Forest Fire Information System. The average area burnt over the same 10 summer days between 2008 and 2020 was 1,700 hectares.

Britain, France, Spain and other countries have answered Greece’s appeal for help, and on Sunday, Serbia announced it was sending 13 vehicles with 37 firefighters and three firefighting helicopters.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis thanked foreign countries for their help on Sunday. 

“On behalf of the Greek people, I would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to all the countries that have sent assistance and resources to help fight the wildfires,” he tweeted.

“We thank you for standing by Greece during these trying times.” 

Police said on Sunday they had arrested at least 10 people for arson, among them three young men in Pireaus for attempting to start a fire in nearby Perama.

The monstrous Dixie Fire in northern California continued to grow overnight, making it the second-largest wildfire in state history as thousands of people continued to flee advancing flames, authorities said Sunday.

As of early Sunday it had destroyed 463,477 acres (187,562 hectares), up from the previous day’s 447,723 acres. It now covers an area larger than Los Angeles and roughly the size of the Hawaiian island of Maui.

The Dixie blaze is the largest active wildfire in the United States, but one of only 11 major wildfires in California.

Over the weekend it surpassed the 2018 Mendocino Complex Fire to make it the second-worst fire in state history, the authorities said. 

The blaze, which on Saturday left three firefighters injured, remained 21 percent contained Sunday, unchanged from the day before, the CalFire website reported.

Crews estimate the fire, which began July 13, will not finally be extinguished before August 20.

Weak winds and higher humidity were providing some succor to firefighters, but they are bracing for higher temperatures expected to exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 centigrade) by midweek.

Thousands of residents have fled the area, many finding temporary housing — even living in tents — in the area, often unsure whether their homes have survived.

On Saturday, the Plumas County sheriff’s office said it had received descriptions of five people considered missing in Greenville and was searching for them.

Five other missing people were confirmed found on Saturday.

The Dixie Fire has already destroyed 404 structures — gutting the historic town of Greenville — and CalFire said workers were being deployed in an effort to save homes in the towns of Crescent Mills and Hunt valley.

More than 5,000 personnel are now battling the Dixie blaze.

By late July, the number of acres burned in California was up more than 250 percent from 2020 — itself the worst year of wildfires in the state’s modern history.

The state’s eight largest wildfires have all come since December 2017.

A long-term drought that scientists say is driven by climate change has left much of the western United States and Canada parched — and vulnerable to explosive and highly destructive fires.

A police car siren calls for the last residents of the village of Gouves on the Greek island of Evia to evacuate as fire rages down a mountainside and engulfs the first houses.  

“I don’t want to, I don’t want to,” repeats in sobs a woman on her porch who cannot find the strength to flee even as the approaching inferno turns the sky orange. 

The fires remained out of control over large swathes of Evia island on Sunday, as evacuations were continuing, pushing hundreds of people towards the beach.

Many villagers joined the battle, and around 10 men were busy digging, cutting and pulling out branches in an effort to slow the raging fire despite the repeated urging of police to leave. 

Forming a human chain, they unrolled water hoses fed by agricultural pick-ups, desperate to save their livelihood. 

“If people leave, the villages will burn for sure,” says Yannis Selimis, a young man from Gouves. “We are in the hands of God.” 

Tempers flared over a lack of government response.

“Which authorities? Which firefighters? Do you see anybody here?” exclaims one local.

“They burnt our paradise,” says Triantafyllos Konstantinos, 46. “We are done,” he sighs.

“It’s tragic. We are all going to the sea,” says Nikos Papaioannou as the fire steadily encroaches on residential areas near the island’s northern coasts.

– Refugees in their own country –

At Gouves, cars pass through a vast cloud of smoke as they try to go towards the beach. 

Some kilometres away, at the beach of Pefki, a ferry boat docked on the beach and a warship off the coast are waiting to rescue these people who have become refugees in their own country. 

They wait without knowing whether they will reach the mainland Sunday evening. 

“Evia is finished”, says Cleopatra Plapouta. “People are fighting all by themselves. Not a single firefighter inside the villages,” she complains, wearing a scarf and a mask against the thick smoke and ash.  

“We are burning for a week now!” her husband exclaims. “The fire started 60 kilometres away! 60 kilometres!” 

Shirtless, the greying man gesticulates with despair. “It’s unbelievable! It was a heaven, they burnt it down!”

Maria Moushogianni, who owns a beach hotel where she is shelterin two families who have abandoned their homes, says that Sunday was the first day that airplanes appeared. 

“They abandoned us, they lied to us! I’m going to close the hotel and leave,” adds the 66-year-old woman, holding her white cat. “This evening if possible”.