The world is at a ‘tipping point’ with the Rhodes wildfires being the shape of devastation to come, a senior meteorologist has warned.

Jim Dale said the fires that have triggered the mass evacuation of British tourists are just ‘pinpricks’ in the scale of the global climate crisis.

Follow our live blog for latest updates on wildfires in Greece

He described the scenes of flames rising from hilltops and thousands of tourists camped out on the floor of Rhodes International Airport as ‘inevitable’ and part of a trend he first warned of 40 years ago.

Corfu yesterday became the second Greek island to begin evacuations due to wildfires, with the extreme heat predicted to continue this week.

In Rhodes, the temperature is expected to rise to 40C (104F) on Wednesday, according to the UK Met Office.

Mr Dale told Metro.co.uk: ‘These wildfires were inevitable.

‘Yes, wildfires happen from time to time but given the excessive and prolonged heat across the Mediterranean by hook or by crook, and whether it was by nature, arson or accident, these fires were always going to be the script for the region this summer.

‘This is not to forget other areas which are suffering, as we have already seen heatwaves in Canada and Siberia. Rhodes and Corfu are absolute pinpricks compared to the global scale of wildfires at this moment in time.

‘Canada and Siberia have massive forest areas and have been massively overheated in terms of their average temperatures. You might think Siberia’s a cold place, but it’s been breaking records at 30C (86F) and tinder dry.’

The experienced meteorologist raised the prospect of established summer holiday destinations for British tourists becoming routinely affected by extreme heat and wildfires. In Rhodes, the emergency response began on Tuesday as fires were spread by strong winds, with roughly 19,000 people moved from the path of the blaze.

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a webbrowser thatsupports HTML5video

‘What we are seeing is the new abnormal,’ Mr Dale said.

‘Not just in terms of wildfires but with all of the aspects of climate change, we have reached a tipping point. This is particularly so in the three heat domes of Asia, North Africa and the Mediterranean and southern Europe as well as the United States, where a heatwave will spread this week.

‘All the warnings by Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion are 100% correct, even if you question their tactics sometimes, like I do.

‘What they have been warning of is coming of age.’

The British government has sent out a rapid-deployment team and Red Cross workers to support holidaymakers and travel operators.

However Mr Dale had little sympathy for holidaymakers caught up in the emergency, some of whom have complained of being stranded with limited information from their airlines or tour companies.

‘We live in this glasshouse where because it’s wet and cool in the UK we think it’s fine to jet off to Rhodes and places in the midst of extreme heat, even though all the evidence was there that this could happen,’ he said.

‘It’s almost like we live in a different world, and people are not seeing what’s going on. It’s absolutely crazy to head off on holiday to a part of the southern Mediterranean where there are warnings in place for record-breaking temperatures and even after wildfires have broken out.

‘There has be a rethink not just among the holiday industry but in the emergency sector in general about how we warn people about extreme weather across the world.’

Earlier this month, Metro.co.uk featured a map showing how soaring temperatures are impacting countries across the world, including the UK.

Mr Dale, who considered the impact of climate change in his book ‘Weather or Not?’, has the mantra that ‘weather is king and climate is the kingmaker’.

‘I could see this coming 40 years ago, not in terms of Rhodes and Corfu but in terms of the general change or flow in the environment,’ he said.

‘This is now coming of age and along with natural variance you could call humanity-driven climate change the candles on the cake.

‘We need to start listening to what the scientists are saying in terms of fossil fuels, it’s as simple as that.

‘We have to start with ourselves, our families, our streets and then our countries. It’s no use complaining about China when we haven’t started in our own backyard, The fallout from this is not just more wildfires, but major storms, major winds and major floods, this is what a warmer world does.

‘Not just on land but particularly in the seas.

‘We are a very poor second when it comes to Mother Nature and being able to defend ourselves against her.’

Ludovica Gazze, associate professor at the Department of Economics, University of Warwick, warned of the toll which will be borne by Greece once the British tourists have departed.

Prof Gazze said: ‘The economic costs of wildfires are substantial and widespread. There are the immediate and visible costs of healthcare and assistance, as well as forgone tourist income. 

‘There are also the invisible costs of the pollution caused by wildfires, which can travel hundreds of miles as we saw in the case of the Canada wildfires in June. Pollution worsens health, cognition, and productivity.   

‘Thankfully, these fires in Rhodes and Corfu seem more contained, but the costs will be borne by the whole country, and beyond in the case of pollution. The key here is prevention: we need to think about where and how we build homes and hotels.’

The UK government said last night that ‘extreme temperatures’ are impacting many areas of Greece with a ‘number of active wildfires’.

The evacuation is now the biggest ever in the country with around 10,000 British holidaymakers thought to be awaiting return flights.   

Do you have a story you would like to share? Contact [email protected]

Source: Read Full Article