Von der Leyen urges action on global warming as catastrophic floods kill hundreds in Europe

The European Commission president said that the events were a ‘clear indication of climate change’ during a visit to Dublin last week

People walk through the flood damaged city center of Bad Neuenahr, Germanym, devastated by a flash flood. PIcture: Getty

Increasingly intense weather events such as the floods that have ravaged north-western Europe in the last week are a “clear indication of climate change” and demand urgent action, according to Ursula von der Leyen.

The European Commission president was speaking in Dublin on Friday as floods swept through her home country of Germany, leaving towns completely destroyed and hundreds dead or missing.

“These are horrible events, the flooding events we see in Germany, the Netherlands, ...