Algeria & Tunisia among countries hit by wildfires as extreme temperatures hit new records

These are the words of UN secretary general António Guterres, who confirmed the escalation in the global climate crisis after scientists confirmed that the past three weeks have been the hottest since records began and that July is on track to be the hottest month ever recorded.

The rise in global average temperatures, driven by pollution that traps sunlight and acts like a greenhouse, has made weather extremes worse - particularly around the Mediterranean basin where wildfires have been raging.

The areas around north-east Algeria and north-west Tunisia were among the worst hit. In Algeria alone, blazes killed at least 34 people, destroying homes, and reducing vast areas of forest to scorched wastelands.
 

Produced by Alexander Durie