Climate fiction is vital to show the consequences of the crisis, says author

As wildfires ravage Europe and record heat waves are recorded, an author argues that literary fiction has a vital role in capturing the serious consequences of the climate crisis.

By El Medio Oriente

August 16, 2026

A firefighter in protective gear watches a massive wildfire with intense flames consuming trees in a forest engulfed in dense smoke. — A firefighter battles a large-scale wildfire devouring vegetation and emitting massive columns of smoke, illustrating the scale of fires affecting Europe amid the climate crisis. (The Guardian — Books)

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As wildfires ravage Europe and Britain experiences its hottest summer on record, literary fiction has a vital role to play in capturing the serious consequences of the climate crisis, according to an author who travelled across the continent during a book tour.

During her travels through Europe in early summer, the author experienced record temperatures in every place she visited. In Italy, Germany and Spain she sought refuge from midday heat in air-conditioned hotels. In normally temperate Zurich, the average temperature reached 37 degrees. On her last day in Warsaw, Poland recorded its highest temperature in history, one of 14 countries that reached record highs.

Since the heat waves began, there have been more than 10,000 excess deaths. However, for many people, including the author, the high temperatures only caused inconveniences such as uncomfortable journeys, heat irritation and less time outdoors. According to the author, this seems to be a defining feature of the current climate crisis: deadly for some, banal for others. Even when the world is on fire, somehow it does not feel like an emergency for everyone.