分类： environment

On a late Monday afternoon in southern France’s Aude department, an unusually powerful tornado tore through local communities, leaving a trail of catastrophic destruction in its wake that local leaders have compared to a war zone. The small village of Pomas, home to roughly 1,000 residents, bore the brunt of the extreme weather event, with the storm collapsing building walls, tearing entire roofs off structures, and flattening centuries-old trees.

As of initial emergency updates, 39 people have been confirmed injured, two of whom are in critical condition, and 17 injured residents have been admitted to local hospitals for ongoing care. In an interview with reporters Tuesday, Pomas mayor Herve Gine described the chaotic aftermath as an experience akin to living through active conflict. “We were bombed by nature,” Gine said, noting that many residents are reeling from shock after losing all their personal property in the storm. Key public infrastructure, including the village nursery school and town hall, have been completely destroyed, he added. Gine also emphasized that a complete loss of life was avoided by what he called a miracle, noting that the scale of destruction easily could have killed dozens of people.

Walking tours of the village Tuesday revealed the full force of the tornado: narrow streets were choked with fallen debris, uprooted trees blocked access to many neighborhoods, broken roof tiles covered sidewalks, multiple cars were flipped onto their roofs, and nearly every residential building suffered broken windows or torn away shutters. Of Pomas’ 476 residential properties, approximately 300 sustained varying levels of damage, and Gine confirmed that large swathes of the village will require full reconstruction.

French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez characterized the tornado as an event of “rare intensity” in a social media post Tuesday, while regional deputy prefect Marie-Helene Bouissac called it “an exceptional and highly traumatic event” for the local community. Power grid operator Enedis reported that by early Tuesday, 7,250 households across the broader Languedoc-Roussillon region remained without electricity, 1,600 of which are located in Aude department. An AFP reporter on the ground observed that crews had already covered exposed, roofless buildings with blue and green tarpaulins to shield remaining interiors from further damage under clear Tuesday skies. Nearby agricultural areas, including commercial vineyards, were scattered with debris carried by high winds, ranging from broken outdoor furniture to fragments of building insulation and shredded wire fencing.

Emergency response teams worked through the night to clear debris, search for trapped victims and support displaced residents, assisted by canine search units and specialized reinforcement teams. As of Tuesday afternoon, search and safety inspections were still ongoing, with 75 firefighters deployed to the impacted area. Overnight, dozens of displaced residents were housed in a repurposed community hall that served as a temporary emergency shelter, while hundreds more stayed with friends or family in undamaged nearby towns. At police checkpoints controlling access to the damaged village, relatives of local residents gathered to drop off emergency supplies and wait for clearance to help loved ones salvage belongings.

Local residents shared harrowing accounts of the storm’s impact. Jose Gomes, a resident of neighboring Trebes, told reporters that his friend’s home completely collapsed while the friend was inside, leaving him with a head injury and multiple broken ribs. The injured man was released from the hospital Tuesday morning, Gomes added. Abdallah Wakkas, a local grandfather of two teenagers aged 13 and 17, said that while his grandchildren’s home escaped major damage, the pair are still traumatized after seeing their grandmother’s home destroyed.

France typically records several dozen tornadoes of varying intensity each year, according to national weather service Meteo-France. This summer, the country has already faced three back-to-back heatwaves, with a record 52 days of extreme high temperatures amplified by human-caused climate change. These extreme weather conditions have already triggered severe droughts, widespread wildfires, and a record number of dangerous rockfalls in the French Alps. While international climate scientists note that the explicit link between global warming and changing tornado frequency or intensity remains under ongoing research, the devastating impact of this rare extreme event has underscored growing risks of severe weather across Europe.

Southwest of London, the 17th-century formal gardens of Hampton Court Palace stretch out under a late summer sky, but the lush green lawns that have welcomed visitors for centuries are now a parched, straw-colored beige — a stark visual marker of how climate change is reshaping one of the United Kingdom’s most cherished cultural landscapes. For Graham Dillamore, Hampton Court’s head gardener who has spent more than two decades tending the grounds of Henry VIII’s former royal residence, this summer’s record-breaking heat and prolonged drought have brought unprecedented uncertainty to the future of these historic spaces.

Designed by some of the most influential landscape architects in British history — including Lancelot “Capability” Brown and William Kent — the sprawling gardens of stately homes like Hampton Court, Blenheim Palace, Chatsworth House, and Chiswick House rank among England’s most popular tourist attractions, drawing millions of visitors annually to experience their iconic blend of curated design and centuries-old natural growth. Today, however, their historic planting schemes and ancient mature trees are facing unprecedented stress from shifting weather patterns amplified by human-caused climate change.

Gardeners who tend these spaces are not overly concerned about the temporary sight of browned lawns; most agree that visitors, who are also navigating domestic water restrictions, understand the broader context. It is the long-term survival of irreplaceable, decades-old tree stock that keeps them up at night. By mid-August this year, many mature trees already showed severe stress signals: leaves turning brown, branches drooping, and whole ecosystems pushed past their tolerance for heat and dryness.

“Some of these trees have actually given up. They’re not going to come back, they’re finished,” Dillamore, who also oversees the gardens at Kensington Palace, told AFP. “We’re losing mature tree stock and that’s tragic in a historic garden.”

Rosie Fyles, head of gardens at west London’s Chiswick House, where William Kent designed the iconic tree-dotted lawns and cedar groves in the 18th century, echoed that concern. Her team manages 1,800 trees, and the species most iconic to the classic English garden landscape — oaks, sycamores, birches, and limes — are suffering the worst damage. “I think there’s only so much stress they can withstand,” she said.

Watering large, mature trees is simply not logistically feasible, gardeners across all sites explain. Even for smaller shrubs that teams can target for irrigation, the lack of water has reached a crisis point. Chiswick House expanded its rainwater harvesting capacity in recent years, but its entire reserve was depleted months ago. “There’s only so much we can intervene and control,” Fyles said, adding that the loss of control over a landscape she has spent years caring for is a humbling, difficult reality to accept. “It’s sobering. It means that we’re having to think about what we plant going forward, what trees will be sustainable going forward in the future climate.”

For Dillamore, the current crisis feels like uncharted territory. “I’ve never felt so uncertain about the future in historic gardens and landscapes as I do now,” he said.

A recent survey of historic garden staff conducted by the National Lottery Heritage Fund found every single respondent reported measurable impacts from climate change — not just summer drought, but also increasingly severe winter storms and excessive rainfall that fosters fungal growth and pest infestations. Drew Bennellick, head of lands, seas and nature policy at the Heritage Fund, says historic gardens are on the absolute front lines of climate change, with shifts happening far faster than many conservationists predicted. “We’ve seen sites that lost 80 percent of their tree cover,” he told reporters.

Modelling from researchers at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — paints an even bleaker long-term picture: by 2090, half of Kew’s existing tree population could be at risk of death.

Conservation leaders and garden managers agree that these iconic landscapes must be protected to preserve their cultural and historical value, but they also acknowledge that radical adaptation is unavoidable if they are to survive. “But they’ve also got to change over the next few years — otherwise we’re going to lose them,” Dillamore said, acknowledging that this shift will require “some very, very difficult decisions.”

Already, many sites are testing adaptive changes to planting and management. Some are shifting to drought-tolerant Mediterranean plant species, and increasing the proportion of tough grasses and herbaceous perennials that can survive extended dry periods. At Hampton Court, Dillamore has already launched test beds of heat-resistant perennial plants created by garden designer Ann-Marie Powell. Planted this past April without automatic irrigation, species like the southern U.S.-native Siskiyou Pink and prairie-grown echinaceas have remained vibrant through the record heat, exceeding Dillamore’s expectations.

Many gardens have also adjusted their maintenance practices: Hampton Court and Chiswick have stopped annual digging of flowerbeds and adopted a more lenient approach to weeds, both of which help retain soil moisture and reduce stress to existing plants. Even the Royal Horticultural Society, the UK’s leading gardening charity, announced this month it is considering relocating its heat-stressed hydrangea collection from Surrey to cooler regions of northern England.

For Dillamore, adaptation does not mean erasing the historical identity of these iconic landscapes. “The gardens tell the story of Hampton Court just as much as the palace, so I can’t pack this garden up and move it,” he said. “We’ve got to retain that feel, the spirit of the place” — while making the hard changes needed to keep that spirit alive for future generations.

In the arid western United States, a fast-moving wildfire fanned by strong gusty winds has brought chaos to the region surrounding Reno, Nevada, forcing tens of thousands of residents to evacuate their homes and remain displaced as of Monday. The blaze, dubbed the Hawk Fire, ignited for the first time on Saturday, and has since exploded in size to consume more than 15,000 acres (6,000 hectares) of dry, fire-prone brush land just five miles northwest of Reno’s city center, a community of roughly 280,000 people sitting near the Nevada-California border.

By Monday, the number of residents under mandatory evacuation orders fell to 24,000, down from a peak of more than 40,000 as crews made incremental progress containing the blaze. Even so, tens of thousands additional residents remain on high alert, instructed to pack emergency bags and stand ready to evacuate at a moment’s notice should the fire shift direction. All schools across the affected area have been closed indefinitely, as thick plumes of wildfire smoke have blanketed Reno, raising public health concerns for local residents.

So far, the disaster has not resulted in any fatalities, but seven people have sustained injuries, three of whom are first responders working to contain the blaze. Assessors have confirmed that at least 32 structures have been completely destroyed by the fire, with multiple other properties damaged. Local officials warn that this destruction count will almost certainly climb in the coming days, as fire crews gain safe access to the core burn zone to conduct full damage surveys.

Investigators have already confirmed the Hawk Fire is human-caused, though the exact circumstances remain unclear. Speaking at a Monday press briefing, Truckee Meadows Fire Chief Richard Edwards noted that officials have not yet determined whether the ignition was intentional or accidental, adding that the cause will likely remain classified as undetermined as investigators continue their work.

More than 900 firefighters from across the United States, with additional specialist crews joining from Australia and New Zealand, have been deployed to tackle the blaze. Firefighters have used a full arsenal of resources including ground crews, engine companies, water-dropping helicopters and bulldozers to clear dry vegetation and build containment lines. As of Monday, crews had successfully secured 27 percent of the fire’s perimeter.

Local leaders have emphasized the unpredictable nature of this wind-driven event, urging residents to comply immediately with evacuation orders. “The Hawk Fire is a very dynamic incident for us as it’s being driven by the winds. The wind-driven fires move very rapidly into our residential areas,” Edwards explained. Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve echoed this urgent warning, stressing: “If you have been told to evacuate, please don’t wait!”