Ep. 3 – Depopulation is Causing Wildfires in Europe – Europe Talks Back

As Europe is seeing intense and unprecedented heatwaves, with temperatures spiking above 40 degrees, huge wildfires are raging across several countries in the region. Thousands of hectares of land were destroyed, and people had been evacuated from towns threatened by flames. In some areas droughts are making it hard to control the fires. Italy is one of the most affected countries, together with Spain, Portugal and France. The number of wildfires recorded so far in 2022 is already three times higher than average. The Mediterranean area always had to deal with wildfire, especially during summer, but what has changed is the amount, the scale, and the intensity. Huge fires are now becoming more frequent, and they last longer. The answer is linked to depopulation. On this episode of Europe Talks Back, host Alexander Damiano Ricci meets with Laura Cocco, sufferer of a wildfire in Italy, and Davide Mancini, freelance journalist, to discuss the relationship between depopulation and wildfires.