QUESTION 2

Heatwave: More evacuations as Mediterranean wildfires spread

By Laurence Peter BBC News

European countries are experiencing heatwave that is causing the spread of life-threatening wildfires. To date, France has evacuated more than 16,000 people threatened by wildfires in the south-west, as fires also spread in Spain, Croatia, and Greece. Authorities in France's Gironde, a popular tourist region, have evacuated guards from campsites - the tourists left earlier. Fires have spread in the Teste-de-Buch and Landiras areas. In southern Spain, more than 3,200 people fled fires in the Mijas hills, though later some were able to return. Portugal's fires are contained for now, but the battle is not over. In Italy, the government has declared a state of emergency in the desiccated PO Valley - the country's longest river is no more than a trickle in some places.

Since then, more than 1,000 deaths have been attributed to the heat in Portugal and Spain in recent days. The Mijas fires in Spain are not far from Mlaga, a popular tourist area. Elsewhere in Spain, wildfires have broken out in the provinces of Castilla y Leon, Galicia and Extremadura. Ellen McCurdy, living in the Mlaga area, told Reuters: "We just grabbed a few essentials and just ran really, and by that stage everybody along the street was on the move... there were a lot of ambulances and fire engines." Across the Mediterranean from Morocco in the west to Crete in the east - thousands of firefighters and many waterbombing aircraft have been deployed. Since Tuesday, the whole region has been sweltering in severe heat, leaving vegetation bone dry.

Heatwaves have become more frequent, more intense, and last longer because of humaninduced climate change. The world has already warmed by about 1. IC since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make stee cuts to carbon emissions. The French weather service has forecast tem eratures of

up to 41C (106F) in the country's south on Sunday and new heat records are predicted for Monday. In Portugal, the temperature recently reached 47C.

In the UK there is a red warning for extreme heat across parts of England, as the country braces for record temperatures on Monday and Tuesday, possibly reaching 41C in some parts. UK may have hottest day on record with 41C forecast. Dr Eunice Lo, a climate scientist at Bristol University, told the BBC that "rising temperatures are a signature of climate change" and that in the UK, 2,000 extra deaths a year were attributable to heatwaves. Public records show that since 1884, the top 10 hottest years in the UK have all been since 2002, she said. Globally, "heatwaves are becoming more common and lasting longer," Dr Lo added. "We need to stop burning fossil fuels, and act now and quickly."

Meanwhile, climbers in the Alps are being urged to postpone their trips to Mont Blanc due to the risk of rock falls caused by "exceptional climatic conditions". Heatwaves put the public at greater risk of heatstroke, heat exhaustion and drowning, as people rush to cool off, Dr Lo said. Pets and farm animals are also vulnerable. "Even fit and healthy people are at risk," she said, though the most vulnerable are young children, the elderly and those with underlying health conditions. Extreme heat can also damage infrastructure, such as melting road tarmac and buckling railway lines.

Extracted from: htt s://www.bbc.com/news/world-euro e-62196045

The following questions are based on the above article.

1. Identify the environmental issue in the article and explain TWO (2) costs that emerged from the above situation to the Europeans. Provide suitable points from the article to support your answer. (5 Marks)
2. According to Dr Eunice Lo, a climate scientist at Bristol University, "rising temperatures are a signature of climate change" and that in the UK, 2,000 extra deaths a year were attributable to heatwaves. Public records show that since 1884, the top 10 hottest years in the UK have all been since 2002, she said. Globally, "heatwaves are becoming more common and lasting longer," Dr Lo added. "We need to stop burning fossil fuels, and act now and quickly. Based on Dr. Lo comments, ethical principles, and theories, explain TWO (2) reasons why human beings are still carrying out activities that lead to great harm to the environment. (5 Marks)
3. The above article described wildfire as not only alarming but has far-reaching effects on the Europeans livelihood and safety. If this situation continues, natural resources that need time to be replenished will be depleted. This means the current generations are leaving to the future generations a world that is far worse than what they have inherited from their ancestors. Explain using ethics of justice and ethics of care, why the present generation actions are considered morally right. (10 Marks)

[Total: 20 Marks]