Europe's scorched landscapes seen from space after summer heatwaves

Extreme heatwaves across western Europe since May have visibly damaged landscapes, as revealed by satellite imagery showing shrunken glaciers, wildfires, dried-up rivers, and withered vegetation. The EU's climate service confirmed this was the hottest June-July period on record, with impacts including the Danube River reaching 30-year lows and forcing nuclear power stations to reduce capacity. While immediate causes stem from persistent high-pressure weather systems, climate change from fossil fuel burning has made such intense heat events more frequent and severe.