Europe is warming at twice the global average, according to a joint report released on Monday by the UN’s World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the European Union’s climate agency, Copernicus. The report highlights alarming consequences for human health, glacier melt, and economic activity.
The latest data reveals that temperatures in Europe are now running 2.3 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, compared to a global increase of 1.3 degrees Celsius. This puts Europe perilously close to the 1.5 degrees Celsius limit set by the 2015 Paris climate accord.
Despite these troubling trends, the report notes that Europe has an opportunity to accelerate its transition to renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, and hydroelectric power. Last year, the continent generated 43 percent of its electricity from renewable resources, up from 36 percent the previous year. For the second consecutive year, more energy in Europe was generated from renewables than from fossil fuels.
Elisabeth Hamdouch, deputy head of unit for Copernicus at the European Commission, stated, “Europe saw yet another year of increasing temperatures and intensifying climate extremes, including heat stress with record temperatures, wildfires, heatwaves, glacier ice loss, and lack of snowfall.”
The report also underscores the human toll of rising temperatures. Deaths related to heat have increased across the continent, with more than 150 lives lost directly in connection with storms, floods, and wildfires last year. Economic losses due to weather and climate-related events in 2023 are estimated at over 13.4 billion euros (approximately $14.3 billion).
Carlo Buontempo, director of Copernicus, warned, “Hundreds of thousands of people were affected by extreme climate events in 2023, which have been responsible for large losses at continental level, estimated to be at least in the tens of billions of euros. Unfortunately, these figures are unlikely to get smaller, at least in the near future.”
Extreme weather has exacerbated heatwaves, wildfires, droughts, and flooding. High temperatures have significantly contributed to glacier ice loss, including in the Alps, which have lost about 10 percent of their remaining glacier ice over the past two years.
While temperatures were below average in Scandinavia and Iceland, the overall trend across Europe points towards rising temperatures and intensified climate extremes.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
