Europe’s Burning Legacy: Wildfires Uncover Hidden Dangers

The current European wildfire season has brought into sharp focus a long-dormant threat lurking beneath the continent’s scorched landscapes: buried explosives from past wars, detonated by the intense heat and flames. Firefighters navigating burning forests are often surrounded by rusting shells and mines, evoking a mix of awe, respect, and trepidation.

Unexploded ordnance is not unusual in Europe, particularly in Belgium where the practice of “the iron harvest” has become an annual ritual. However, this year’s wildfires have exposed a potentially deadly combination of factors. Heavy rains in January may have spurred vegetation growth but also created a tinderbox waiting to be ignited by summer heat. The resulting blazes have led to mass evacuations and uncovered a disturbing truth: climate change is unearthing and reactivating what was previously stable.

Sarah Njeri, a peace and conflict scholar at London’s School of Oriental and African Studies, notes that Europe’s “climatic luck” is running out. The continent has long relied on steady temperatures and predictable rainfall to keep its buried weapons dormant. But this year’s wildfires have shown that climate change can turn the tables in unexpected ways.

The images from Belgian forests are a grim reminder of the region’s war-torn past. Firefighter Bernard Collard recounts finding mortar shells, machine guns, and even a human skeleton. The fact that some explosives have exploded in the heat, threatening crews responding to the flames, highlights the dangers of this new reality.

In France, a massive wildfire outside Bordeaux uncovered a cache of World War II-era ammunition, including over 400 shells and pieces recovered. Fire commander Thomas Mimiague’s words – “the sound of war” – capture the unsettling feeling that these events evoke. The fact that one of the munitions exploded, causing destruction and chaos in Le Porge village, underscores the risks posed by these buried threats.

The current situation raises questions about our relationship with the past. How do we balance learning from history with the dangers of revisiting its most destructive legacies? What does this mean for our understanding of climate change’s impact on human societies?

As Christina Greene, a researcher at the University of Arizona, points out, “the legacy of war keeps creeping up” due to climate change. This is not just about unexploded ordnance; it’s also about the ways in which drought and changing weather patterns are exposing old conflicts and revealing new dangers.

The discovery of naval mines in Slovakia’s Danube River and a WWII-era bomb on Hungary’s Margaret Bridge highlights the scale of this problem. In Germany, receding Rhine waters have uncovered another buried threat, while in France, authorities have had to close major infrastructure due to emerging munitions. This is not just about Europe; it’s also about our global response to climate change and its consequences.

As we continue to grapple with the challenges of a warming world, we must confront the dark legacy of human conflict that lingers beneath our feet. The question now is: what will come next? Will we learn from these events, or will they become just another chapter in the long history of war and destruction?