Wildfires in Spain: the business of letting them burn

Wildfires: the cost of not preventing them is higher than anyone admits

Every summer, the images of burned hectares repeat themselves. But behind the smoke an uncomfortable debate emerges: is it cheaper to let land burn than to invest in prevention? Away from official rhetoric, the discussion suggests the numbers don't add up. In skeptical circles, it is argued that late extinguishing and lack of resources respond to a perverse economic calculation: letting fire ravage the land is, apparently, cheaper than keeping the countryside clean and equipped.

The cost of inaction

Some argue that arson is behind most fires, and that without legal changes there will be no solution. Others point out that a revolutionary technique for putting out fires exists, but that its use is boycotted because the product is Spanish and leaves no commissions for middlemen. The reference to a German pharmaceutical company as a possible buyer adds a layer of alleged industrial conspiracy. What seems clear is that trust in the authorities is minimal: governments and Spain's regional governments (comunidades autónomas) are accused of prioritizing political kickbacks over effectiveness.

Technology and political will

The debate holds that if an effective invention for extinguishing fires existed, the authorities should acquire it and make it available to firefighters. However, the suspicion spreads that there are orders not to act decisively. This perception of institutional abandonment fuels a fatalistic discourse that goes beyond wildfires: people speak of an alienated citizenry and a political class that has betrayed the expectations placed in Europe.

Disenchantment becomes the dominant note. Society is compared to a flock without a shepherd, and it is predicted that a land of sheep will eventually breed ferocious wolves. The final reflection, far from optimistic, leaves the reader with the feeling that the wildfire problem is only a symptom of a deeper illness.

Meanwhile, the countryside keeps burning. And the economic calculation some defend —letting it burn to save money— has a counterpart no official report explains: the long-term ecological cost, which nobody puts on the scales.