Spain and Portugal have changed immeasurably due to the climate crisis over the past decade. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Guardian.

Sam Jones, the Guardian's Madrid correspondent, says Spain has changed since he arrived 10 years ago. Over that time, the push for Catalan independence, the Covid pandemic, and political shifts have occurred. But one change has eclipsed all others: the climate emergency.

Europe is the fastest-heating continent, warming at more than twice the global average. The Iberian peninsula has become the frontline of the climate crisis. Wildfires in Spain and France last week led to the evacuation or confinement of approximately 330,000 people.

The autumn of 2024 exemplified this crisis. In late September, photographer Gonçalo Fonseca and Jones visited the northern Portuguese municipality of Albergaria-a-Velha, witnessing the aftermath of fires that killed nine people, injured dozens, and razed 100,000 hectares. The fires were fueled by strong winds, dry conditions, and temperatures above 30°C (85F), recalling the 2017 blazes that claimed 66 lives.

João Oliveira, head of the civil protection agency in Albergaria-a-Velha, said: "The amount of energy the fire created, the amount of damage it did and the intensity and violence of the fire, were something we'd never seen before."

Four weeks later, Jones visited Utiel in eastern Spain to see the aftermath of deadly floods in the Valencia region that killed more than 230 people. Ruined houses, wrecked cars, and thick mud covered the streets.

Helena Smith, the Guardian's correspondent in Greece, recalled Eleni Myrivili saying in 2021: "Heat will be the story of the next decade." She added: "Every year it is worse: testimony to the irrefutable fact that the climate emergency is our runaway train."

Angelique Chrisafis, the Guardian's Paris correspondent, reported on the impact of the climate crisis after May's record-breaking heatwave. She mentioned Issam, a 10-year-old boy whose school classroom reached 40C (104F).

Three weeks ago, Jones spoke to Jeanne Henny, a British woman who narrowly escaped burning to death in her car while fleeing wildfires in Almería. On Saturday, he visited people evacuated from homes west of Madrid.

The climate emergency is becoming a regular occurrence across Europe, worsening each year. It is an undeniable reality.