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14Jul
Political cowardice hindering Europe’s climate efforts, says EU’s green chief
EU Climate Chief Warns ‘Political Cowardice’ Is Undermining Urgent Climate Action as Europe Swelters in Record Heat
Teresa Ribera, the EU’s green transition chief, has warned that political inaction and denial are putting Europe at greater risk from the worsening climate crisis, as the continent faces a historic heatwave with temperatures hitting up to 46°C in parts of Spain.
In an interview with the Guardian, Ribera described the extreme weather – including record June temperatures in Spain, Portugal, the UK, and Brussels – as a clear sign of the escalating climate emergency. Yet she said governments have failed to turn this evidence into effective action to protect people, ecosystems, and economies.
Ribera blamed “political cowardice” and populist climate denial for blocking adaptation and resilience measures, calling it “unhealthy and dangerous” for democracy when leaders refuse to be honest with voters about the scale of the crisis. “It’ll be much more expensive if we don’t act,” Ribera said, urging politicians to show courage and plan for climate impacts instead of treating them as isolated events.
She highlighted extreme heat in Huelva, Spain, which reached 46°C last weekend, and last year’s deadly floods in Valencia as signs that Europe is moving from anecdotal climate extremes to dangerous new norms.
Jessika Roswall, the EU commissioner for environment and water resilience, echoed Ribera’s concerns, stressing that water must be treated as a vital, strategic resource in an era of rising temperatures and droughts. The commission has launched new strategies to restore water cycles and protect carbon sinks like Spain’s Doñana wetlands.
Spain is on the frontline of Europe’s climate emergency, with creeping desertification and repeated record temperatures. June 2025 has already smashed national heat records, averaging 23.6°C – 3.5°C above the 1991–2020 norm.
As Europe braces for more extreme heat, Ribera said the region urgently needs a shift from “headlines about extreme weather” to coherent action that protects people and nature, warning that denial and delay will only deepen the crisis.
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