To face the climate crisis, we must invest in workers and their skills

Climate action ultimately succeeds or fails where people do, making skills a particularly weak link in the chain, writes Pilvi Torsti

Members of the Emergency Military Unit utilize controlled burns to halt the spread of wildfires this July, in Ávila province, Spain. Picture: Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty

Sweltering scenes have become alarmingly familiar across Europe. For weeks, heatwaves, wildfires, and flooding have affected the whole continent.

In many southern regions, school closures are now commonplace, as classrooms become unbearably hot. Train services have slowed down, with railway tracks warping under the relentless heat, construction sites have fallen silent during the hottest hours of the day, and farmers sometimes work through the night to protect themselves.