Europe ‘not prepared’ for growing climate extremes it faces

A man wraps his shirt over his face as he tries to extinguish a fire, near the seaside resort of Lindos, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 24 2023 (Petros Giannakouris/AP)

Europe is facing growing climate risks and is unprepared for them, the European Environment Agency has said in its first-ever risk assessment for the bloc.

The agency said Europe is prone to more frequent and more punishing weather extremes — including increasing wildfires, drought, more unusual rainfall patterns and flooding — and it needs to immediately address them in order to protect its energy, food security, water and health.