JANET STREET-PORTER: Climate change is not a myth
If you thought was a myth, look at the footage of desperate holidaymakers running into the sea to escape the raging forest fires and choking smoke surrounding their hotels on Rhodes. Hear the stories of families separated in the middle of the night, walking for up to eight hours in the dark to safety. Forced to leave elderly parents behind because hotels had no wheelchairs. Instead of luxury hotels, they're sleeping on the floors of shops and offices, with no where to stay. These images resemble a war zone. But will they put you off booking a summer break in the Mediterranean next year? Are we that desperate for sun and cheap booze that we pick a holiday destination without considering whether it might go up in smoke? Seven thousand Brits were on Rhodes when the fires broke out, with many more expected over the peak season. The Greek Prime Minister says his country is 'at war with fire' as the armed forces battle up to 50 new outbreaks every day. Trying to tame and control the destruction is costing billions - two pilots have lost their lives in the process. Luckily, there have been no injuries or fatalities amongst the tens of thousands of tourists who have had to flee their hotels and holiday villas. And Greece isn't the only country affected. Out of control fires are currently burning or predicted to start right across Europe - in Sicily, Sardinia, parts of Spain, south eastern France, Portugal, Turkey and Cyprus. Temperatures of up to 45 degrees for the last few weeks have made beaches too hot to walk on, and sleeping without air conditioning impossible. And yet tourists pour off the planes into the blinding sun every single day. There are fires every summer in the Mediterranean and Southern Europe, but this year the extreme temperatures and prolonged dry spells have created perfect 'fire weather' with low humidity and high winds and the scale of the destruction is unprecedented. An average rise in the earth's temperature of 1.2 degrees - the highest since the Industrial revolution nearly 150 years ago - means that when fires start, they spread more easily and are harder to control. Other countries at increased risk of fire include parts of the USA and Australia. Are there more fires there are now than 100 years ago? Experts disagree, because the data is inaccurate and many blazes weren't documented. Every year, some fires in the Mediterranean are arson attacks- deliberately started by terrorists or political activists who object to tourism or local government. Others are accidents - sparks from holiday barbeques and cigarettes are equally to blame. Well planted forestry with fire breaks can makes fires easier to contain - but in poor rural areas that might not be the case. The difference between the risks from an out of control fire now and 50 years ago, is the sheer number of people the blaze will affect. Farms and small holdings have given way to tourist accommodation around the entire Mediterranean. Intense tourism could be viewed as another form of environmental pollution. Firefighting resources and green buffer zones will not always be viewed as a priority when resorts are being developed. Look at the money mass tourism brings to once-bankrupt countries like Greece who rely on it to support their economy. You might be tempted to decide that holidaying in high summer in a country prone to fire is not worth the risk- but don't delude yourself that staying back in the UK is any better for the planet. You might not be incurring air miles, but the UK has a lamentable record when it comes to green issues. Our rivers are awash with sewage, our water companies continue to dump untreated waste on our best beaches, and still their bosses claim record bonuses. Beauty spots like the entire country of Cornwall are full to bursting. Locals can't afford to live there, and services like healthcare can't cope. We Brits might not have the high temperatures of the Med but we excel at sewage. Fourteen miles of coast around one of our premier resorts- Blackpool- is currently polluted by the local water company, and bathing is not recommended. Great for working families on their annual holiday. Three Merseyside beaches in Southport and on the Wirral are also polluted by sewage. I'm writing this in Kent, where my local beach sees regular pollution from sewage every time it rains. After a swim, I usually get a sore throat a day later - it's more dangerous than running across the M25 starkers. In an effort to help slow down climate change Rishi Sunak is trying to set green targets to make the UK Carbon Neutral by 2030- but is it too little, too late? The government had pledged to scrap gas boilers and petrol and diesel cars by 2030, but with an election next year, expect to see any proposals which could cost voters hard-earned cash get quietly pushed down the line or watered down. Even Keir Starmer is going pale green, with Labour desperately trying to avoid announcing eco pledges which come with costly price tags. He'd like the Labour Mayor of London to scrap his new charges for diesel cars entering the city- which has already cost the party a by election they should have won in Boris' old seat. It looks like you won't need to splash out on a plane ticket to Rhodes to experience sweltering heat in the near future anyway- the Met Office has announced that temperatures of 40 degrees are TEN times more likely in the UK in future, because of climate change. Last year was the hottest on record since 1659, reaching 40 degrees (the highest temperature ever recorded in England) on one day. The UK is now 1 degree warmer on average, and our warmest days are 4 degrees hotter. Global warming is changing our weather patterns, so that soaring heat waves- like the one that produced the 40 degree scorcher last year- will occur every three to four years. Head teachers are already whingeing about the changing weather patterns, begging the government to redesign the school year so that parents can take children on holiday in the cooler months either side of high summer, when fares are lower, and the sun is less of a health risk. That discussion has been going on for decades, and I don't see any change in the near future. The 'climate doomers' say it's too late, we're headed on the path to death and destruction and rising temperatures will never be halted. Three quarters of 16 to 25 year olds say the future is 'frightening'. I guess it's more frightening if you've forced to run from your beach lounger to avoid being barbecued in a bikini.