How the 'Greatest Natural Disaster in Contemporary Spanish History' Occurred?

Pedro Sanchez, the Prime Minister of Spain, stated four days after the flood that left at least 211 dead in the east of the country, that this flood marked the greatest natural disaster in contemporary Spanish history. On Saturday, Sanchez announced the deployment of 10,000 soldiers and police officers to southeastern Spain to assist victims and search for missing persons. As the search for the missing continues, European media have published various reports on the causes of the flood, and experts and climatologists have analyzed how it occurred. This flood, which has severely affected eastern Spain and the Valencia region since last Tuesday, has led the government to declare three days of national mourning due to the high number of casualties, drawing attention to the violent nature of climate change. Experts have repeatedly warned that Europe is experiencing the most significant impacts of climate change due to global warming among the continents. According to climate experts, warm air from Africa absorbed Mediterranean moisture and, upon encountering what is referred to as a 'cold ceiling' at high altitude, caused torrential rains in Spain. This flood coincided with the United Nations conference on biodiversity currently taking place in Colombia. Florika Fink-Hooijer, the European Union Commissioner attending the conference, stated: 'You may have seen the devastating floods that have occurred in Spain and Europe on television, and this is truly a disaster with unpredictable dimensions. A disaster like this flood is not limited to Spain; it affects all of us in Europe.' She added, 'It is important to consider that such destructive events—these kinds of sudden floods—are exacerbated by climate change, rising temperatures, and drought. All of this is due to drought and the loss of biodiversity. We have the opportunity at this conference to truly initiate actions regarding biodiversity, and if we take action in this regard, we can at least mitigate some of the effects of climate change.' However, the flood in Spain is not merely interpreted as a typical disaster within the framework of global warming; other human-origin factors have played a role in creating such a disaster. Some experts say that since the 1960s, excessive construction in unsuitable areas has blocked the paths for rainwater absorption in many parts of Europe, especially in flood-prone areas near the sea. Spain is a country that welcomes immigrants and tourists, and in recent decades, especially to attract tourists, it has constructed many hotels, apartments, and buildings along its coasts, turning rural areas into new urban developments. According to some reports, 9,000 hectares of orchards in the Valencia urban area have been destroyed over the past fifty-five years. Celia Fontaine, a manager at a non-governmental organization focused on climate change, told a French newspaper: 'With climate change, these events are occurring more frequently and with greater violence; this is just the beginning.' She added, 'There are small villages located in the mountains. These villages are surrounded by many small rivers, and construction has expanded there. The total of concrete structures, dryness, and clay soils, along with the increasing reduction of vegetation cover, means that this impermeable bed cannot absorb several hours of heavy rain, let alone the volume of rain equivalent to a year. In the recent flood, small streams overflowed, bringing mud-laden rain with them.' What is now of greatest concern is that politicians and statesmen, especially in Europe, do not learn the necessary lessons from this flood. The French newspaper Le Monde warned in an article that the current astonishment over the flood in Spain may fade into forgetfulness in a few months. The newspaper called for governments, especially European governments, to fulfill their environmental commitments and not to reduce investments in what is known as the 'green budget.'