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María-Luisa Chas-Amil, Catedrática de Economía Aplicada, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela

Why Spain needs to invest heavily in preventing fires, not just in fighting them

Two planes drop water over the La Mierla fire in Guadalajara, in July 2026. Staurrahmanstudio/Shutterstock

Forest fires have raged across Spain throughout July 2026, leading many people to ask whether the country has enough firefighting resources.

The answer is complex, particularly in emergency situations where homes and lives are at stake. However, the broad scientific consensus is that the key lies not in increasing the resources allocated to firefighting, but in investing more in prevention and land management.

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