By Kate Abnett
BRUSSELS, Aug 6 (Reuters) – The European Union will push its member countries to invest more in environmental management to reduce wildfire risk, the bloc’s environment commissioner told Reuters on Thursday, as experts said the economic cost of this summer’s blazes had already exceeded €15 billion.
Extreme wildfires have ripped through France, Spain and Greece this summer, causing €15.6 billion to €19.1 billion in economic costs – including damage to property, infrastructure, firefighting costs, debris removal and anticipated insurance claims – according to estimates published by forecaster AccuWeather on Thursday.
Scientists have confirmed human-caused global warming made the extreme weather fuelling these fires more likely. But the speed and severity with which the blazes spread have also raised questions about whether countries are investing enough in environmental management, such as by clearing forests of dry, flammable vegetation, and restoring wetlands that can act as natural firebreaks.
“Prevention is the first line of defence… it is obvious that we need to invest more in nature,” EU environment commissioner Jessika Roswall said in an interview.
Investment needs vary between the EU’s 27 members, with Mediterranean countries typically hit hardest by summer wildfires. But as climate change also increases wildfire risk in northern countries like Finland and Sweden, Roswall said “no area of Europe is spared” and the investment need was “really urgent”.
The European Commission proposed last year that 35% of the EU’s next joint budget is spent on climate or environment measures. That plan was criticised by environment groups, who warned that merging the two issues together would mean nature funding got sidelined, in favour of low-carbon energy or infrastructure projects which often deliver bigger returns.
Roswall said Brussels would monitor whether countries invest in nature and, specifically, fire prevention.
“It’s important to see that the member states also use this money for wildfires… The funding will be important for responses [to] and prevention of wildfires and investments in nature,” she said.
Roswall said Brussels will also scrutinise how wildfire prevention features in governments’ national plans for complying with the EU’s law on restoring damaged nature, which they must submit to the EU by September.
“It’s not a luxury, because the cost, if we don’t do that, is growing,” she said. “I’m working with the member states and the ministers on the urgency of investing, not only to protect our homes, to protect lives, but also to protect our industries.”
(Reporting by Kate Abnett; Editing by Susan Fenton)
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