Deadly Flooding 'Shows the Urgency' of Climate Change, EU Official Says

"Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, was among several other officials who made the connection. “It shows the urgency to act,” she said."

"The devastation in Europe caused by the severe weather came just days after the European Union announced an ambitious blueprint to pivot away from fossil fuels over the next nine years as part of plans to make the 27-country bloc carbon-neutral by 2050. Environmental activists and politicians were quick to draw parallels between the flooding and the effects of climate change.

Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union, said on Friday that the flooding was a clear indication of climate change.

“It is the intensity and the length of the events that science tells us this is a clear indication of climate change,” Ms. von der Leyen said. “It shows the urgency to act.”"

Melissa Eddy and Jack Ewing report for the New York Times July 16, 2021.

SEE ALSO:

"Floods Thrust Climate Change to Center of German Campaign as Toll Mounts" (New York Times)

"Germany Floods: Can We Tell If Extreme Weather Is Linked To Climate Change?" (Thomson Reuters Fdn.)

"European Floods Are Latest Sign of a Global Warming Crisis" (New York Times)

"Climate Change Blamed for Europe Floods as German Toll Tops 100" (Bloomberg Environment)

"Experts: Europe Floods Show Need To Curb Emissions, Adapt" (AP)

"Climate Change To Bring More Intense Storms Across Europe" (Newcastle University)

Source: NYTimes, 07/19/2021