At least 12 people have been killed and more than 20 are missing after a wildfire swept through hills near Los Gallardos in Spain's Almería province. Most of the dead were foreign holidaymakers and residents, including British and Belgian nationals, many overtaken as they fled along a dry riverbed while flames driven by extreme heat and wind bore down on them.
An exceptionally early and intense heatwave has gripped Europe around the summer solstice, smashing June records and overwhelming health and emergency services. Spain's mortality monitor has tied more than 200 deaths to the heat in four days, while in France at least 40 people have drowned seeking relief and two young children died in a parked car.
Luxembourg's biggest public holiday will unfold under a red heat alert, with forecasters warning of tropical nights and a felt temperature approaching 39C - a local reckoning with Europe's accelerating warming.
MeteoLux has active heat vigilance for 29-30 May as Luxembourg records an unusually early run of hot days. The new 2026 warning model focuses on perceived heat, duration and health risk.
Luxembourg has adopted a national climate adaptation strategy built on 152 measures across 17 policy areas, from water and biodiversity to health and urban planning. Minister Serge Wilmes presented the plan on 7 May 2026 after the Government Council approved it on 22 April. The strategy aims to ready the country for prolonged droughts, heatwaves and flooding.
Atmospheric microplastics and nanoplastics interact with sunlight and infrared radiation strongly enough to influence the climate system, according to a study published in Nature Communications on 4 May 2026. Their regional radiative forcing can exceed black carbon, the team reports.