In Valencia, Spain, the right-wing regional president has quit over the mishandling of floods that killed 229 people. While institutional failures forced his resignation, they’ve also fed support for Vox, a far-right party that opposes action on climate change.

Two hundred twenty-nine deaths and destruction on a scale hitherto unseen in Spain during peacetime. Such was the result of the torrential rains that lashed Valencia province on October 29, 2024, triggering a series of flash floods that wiped out entire towns.

One year later, the disaster has had contradictory political effects. The regional president, Carlos Mazón of the conservative Partido Popular (PP), resigned last week over his disastrous management of the emergency, which contributed to the death toll. Over this same period

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