health
February 21, 2026
Under water, in denial: is Europe drowning out the climate crisis?
Even as weather extremes worsen, the voices calling for the rolling back of environmental rules have grown louder and more influential
TL;DR
- Spain and Portugal have experienced deadly floods due to heavy rains and overflowing rivers, with two friends in Spain losing their lives.
- The increased frequency and intensity of storms in Europe are linked to a southward shift in the jet stream amplified by global heating.
- Despite overwhelming public acceptance of climate science in Europe, far-right parties and centrist leaders are pushing back against climate policies.
- The US is actively promoting fossil fuel exports and pressuring Europe to relax environmental standards.
- Scientists express frustration that European governments are surprised by flood outcomes that were predictable based on climate simulations.
- Past disasters in Valencia, Spain, and the Ahr valley in Germany, with hundreds of deaths, underscore the consequences of inadequate preparedness and delayed alerts.
- EU scientific advisers deem Europe's adaptation efforts insufficient, incremental, and often too late, warning of a future with significantly higher temperatures.
- Experts believe reaching the 1.5C warming threshold is unlikely, and even small fractions of a degree matter as losses mount.
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