Ongoing Wildfires in Greece , Threaten Athens and Drive Steep , Increase in Carbon Emissions.
On July 27, wildfires reached the edges of Athens, Greece, as strong winds drove flare-ups across the country.
Fox News reports that the widespread wildfires come amid a two-week heat wave, which has left five people dead.
The fast-moving fires have triggered a massive evacuation of tourists on the island of Rhodes.
On the outskirts of Athens, water-dropping helicopters were deployed, along with ground crews, to put out a blaze in Kifissia, just north of the capital.
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Fox News reports that near the central city of Volos, wildfires forced stretches of Greece's most-traveled highways to close for several hours.
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National rail services throughout the area were also temporarily suspended.
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Firefighters have reportedly been battling fires in Rhodes for ten consecutive days, while new fires have also started on the island of Evia.
According to the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, Greece's wildfire carbon emissions this month are the highest since records began 20 years ago, totaling over 1 metric megaton.
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Unfortunately, it is not all that surprising, given the extreme conditions in the region.
, Mark Parrington, senior scientist at the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, via Fox News.
The observed intensity and estimated emissions show how unusual the scale of the fires have been for July relative to the last 20 years of data, Mark Parrington, senior scientist at the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, via Fox News
