Statement by the President of the Government of Spain following a visit to the site of the fire in La Mierla (Guadalajara)

SPEECH BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE GOVERNMENT OF SPAIN, PEDRO SÁNCHEZ

Thank you very much, Mayor. And thank you, dear Emiliano, dear president.

I would like to begin by thanking the media for their work.

I also believe, as the president of Castilla-La Mancha said, that it is very important to recognise your work in circumstances such as those we are currently experiencing in Guadalajara, not least because there is a great deal of misinformation, and many hoaxes are circulating on social media; it is therefore essential to champion the work of the media and journalists, who report facts rather than rumours, hoaxes and misinformation - which only serve to cause anxiety and mistrust amongst the public towards their institutions, when it is precisely these institutions that are guaranteeing their safety and, naturally, the continued existence and survival of their own towns in circumstances as complex as those we are currently facing here in the province of Guadalajara.

So, first of all, I would like to thank the media for doing their job of reporting based on facts rather than rumours, misinformation or fake news, which only serve to instil anxiety, hatred and mistrust at a time when citizens are particularly vulnerable to all kinds of information and, consequently, to fuel mistrust in their institutions. And we are seeing this not only in this fire, but also in many other fires, where it seems that there are other reasons behind their cause. And that is where the media come in to effectively counter such misinformation with facts rather than rumours.

Secondly, I would like to express my gratitude. We often talk about public servants, and sometimes we discuss just how important the National Civil Protection System is, along with all its constituent parts. And when we talk about the State, that is exactly what we mean; we are talking about the State as a whole, about all the authorities working side by side against a common enemy - in this case, the fire or fires. When I was a child - like many of you here, if I may address you informally - and watching the media, we used to talk about 'everyone against the fire'. And indeed, that is the enemy we must defeat: fire, that is, wildfires; and so all public authorities, at every level of the State, are working side by side to combat these fires.

I would like to point out that so far this year we have suffered 22 major fires. To give us an idea, compared to last year, we're talking about four times as many major fires so far this year compared to the previous year. More than 100,000 hectares have been burnt as a result of the fires across Spain. To put that into perspective, that is the annual average that Spain experienced over the last decade. 100,000 hectares. Annual average over the last decade. This is already 100,000 hectares before we have reached the most critical points of the year in the fight against wildfires.

And, as the president of the Regional Government of Castilla-La Mancha rightly pointed out earlier, there are also people who question the climate emergency and the gravity of the situation highlighted each year by scientific evidence regarding the extreme climate conditions around the world, because we are seeing massive fires all over the world, including in Canada. Earlier, the president was referring specifically to that World Cup final in New York City. In New York City itself, residents were affected by the smoke from the major wildfires in Canada.

And so, this is a phenomenon that is affecting all countries, but we are tackling it in different ways. And here in Spain, fortunately, we have public policies, a welfare state, and civil servants working within the National Civil Protection System, who are responding bravely, with courage and efficiency and, above all, protecting the lives and towns of our fellow citizens - in this case, those of Guadalajara.

Therefore, as far as I am concerned - and I do not wish to single out some groups for fear of overlooking others, because they are all important, from the fire service to, of course, the UME, including the Civil Guard and the entire Civil Protection system - I naturally wish to thank them for their work, their effort, their dedication, their commitment and the fact that they are literally risking their lives to protect the lives of others. And I don't think there is anything more noble, more worthy of recognition, than the work carried out by public servants in situations such as those we are currently facing.

Thirdly, something that both the mayor and President Emiliano have said. I believe it is very important for the public to remain calm, because they can see cooperation between all the authorities, not only in terms of putting out the fire, but also in the recovery efforts once this fire has been extinguished, just like the others that are ravaging Castilla-La Mancha and the rest of Spain; The Government of Spain will be there, as it always has been, providing resources to put out the fire, as we are doing, but also providing financial resources for the recovery of these areas - allow me to say this, because I have visited this natural park - areas as wonderful as any in Spain, which are, unfortunately, currently ablaze.

And finally, just as I did following the fire at Los Gallardos, I hope you will allow me to share a thought that I already expressed last year. Just look - this fire we're talking about covers around 32,000 hectares.
If my figures are correct, Emiliano, it's the largest forest fire in the history of Castilla-La Mancha. In Los Gallardos, I was reminded of something I said last year, which is that Spain needs a major agreement - a grand State pact - to tackle the climate emergency, because we cannot simply react to wildfires or climate emergencies that lead to civil protection emergencies once they have occurred; rather, we must take action beforehand. We need to raise public awareness.
We must not trivialise the effects of the climate emergency, but take it very seriously. And that's not politics, it's not ideology - it's science, it's data.
These are heatwaves with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees, as we are unfortunately seeing in many parts of Spain. And so I believe it is - I wouldn't go so far as to say an obligation, but it is imperative - that an agreement be reached, a national agreement between the various institutions and, naturally, in Parliament, to turn
into laws and financial resources, measures that are essential for safeguarding life, safety and to ensure the prosperity of regions, as well as of provinces and territories such as Guadalajara and Castilla-La Mancha.

I therefore call once again on all political forces to set aside all partisan strife and focus on our common enemy, which is the climate emergency. And that means not only putting out fires, but also implementing prevention and awareness-raising policies, allocating sustainable financial resources throughout the year, and also committing to policies that mitigate the climate emergency and help us adapt to it.

I would like to acknowledge - because I have witnessed it first-hand and have also met with President Emiliano García-Page - that Castilla-La Mancha takes this seriously and is addressing it not only in terms of responding to the climate emergency, but also in terms of the transition to green energy, with green hydrogen projects that are pioneering not only for this region, but also for the country as a whole, and which attract industry and make energy for countless homes, industries and businesses much cheaper than if we were to rely on energy supplies that are not our own, because, obviously, we do not have them on our land or beneath our soil in this case, such as oil or gas.

These are the considerations we need to make and, of course, translate into public policy. That is what I am once again calling on all political forces to do: to come together and reach a national agreement on the climate emergency, because clearly, if there is one thing that becomes increasingly clear to us with every passing year, it is that the climate emergency kills, and causes many regions and territories to lose their prosperity. That is my request. Of course, I would like to conclude this brief address by acknowledging the media, the institutional cooperation and, once again, the local residents who have responded with composure, calmness and trust in their institutions, and to our public servants, and I hope that within a few hours we will be able to declare this terrible fire in the province of Guadalajara under control.

(Transcript edited by the State Secretariat for Communication)

Original speech in Spanish

Non official translation