NAPLES: Europe is the fastest-warming continent and its temperatures are rising at roughly twice the worldwide common, two high local weather monitoring organizations reported Monday, warning of the implications for human well being, glacier soften and financial exercise. The UN’s World Meteorological Group and the European Union’s local weather company, Copernicus, mentioned in a joint report that the continent has the chance to develop focused methods to hurry up the transition to renewable assets like wind, photo voltaic and hydroelectric energy in response to the results of local weather change.
The continent generated 43% of its electrical energy from renewable assets final 12 months, up from 36% the 12 months earlier than, the businesses say of their European State of the Local weather report for final 12 months. Extra power in Europe was generated from renewables than from fossil fuels for the second 12 months operating.
The most recent five-year averages present that temperatures in Europe are actually operating 2.3 levels Celsius (4.1 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial ranges, in comparison with 1.3 levels Celsius larger globally, the report says – simply shy of the targets below the 2015 Paris local weather accord to restrict international warming to 1.5 levels Celsius.
“Europe noticed one more 12 months of accelerating temperatures and intensifying local weather extremes – together with warmth stress with report temperatures, wildfires, warmth waves, glacier ice loss and lack of snowfall,” mentioned Elisabeth Hamdouch, the deputy head of unit for Copernicus on the EU’s government fee.
The report serves up a continental complement for WMO’s flagship state of the worldwide local weather report, which has been revealed yearly for 3 many years, and this 12 months got here with a “purple alert” warning that the world is not doing sufficient to battle the implications of worldwide warming.
Copernicus has reported that March marked the tenth straight month of report month-to-month temperatures. The typical sea-surface temperature for the ocean throughout Europe hit its highest annual degree in 2023, the Europe report mentioned.
The European report focuses this 12 months on the affect of excessive temperatures on human well being, noting that deaths associated to warmth have risen throughout the continent. It mentioned greater than 150 lives have been misplaced instantly final 12 months in reference to storms, floods and wildfires.
The price of weather- and climate-related financial losses in 2023 have been estimated at greater than 13.4 billion euros (about $14.3 billion).
“A whole bunch of 1000’s of individuals have been affected by excessive local weather occasions in 2023, which have been chargeable for giant losses at continental degree, estimated to be not less than within the tens of billions of euros,” mentioned Copernicus director Carlo Buontempo. “Sadly, these figures are unlikely and more likely to get smaller, not less than within the close to future.”
Excessive climate fanned warmth waves, wildfires, droughts and flooding, the report mentioned. Excessive temperatures have contributed to a lack of glacier ice on the continent, together with within the Alps – which have misplaced about 10% of their remaining glacier ice during the last two years.
Nonetheless, the report’s authors pointed to some exceptions, reminiscent of how temperatures have been beneath common in Scandinavia and Iceland even when the mercury was larger than common throughout a lot of the continent as a complete.
The continent generated 43% of its electrical energy from renewable assets final 12 months, up from 36% the 12 months earlier than, the businesses say of their European State of the Local weather report for final 12 months. Extra power in Europe was generated from renewables than from fossil fuels for the second 12 months operating.
The most recent five-year averages present that temperatures in Europe are actually operating 2.3 levels Celsius (4.1 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial ranges, in comparison with 1.3 levels Celsius larger globally, the report says – simply shy of the targets below the 2015 Paris local weather accord to restrict international warming to 1.5 levels Celsius.
“Europe noticed one more 12 months of accelerating temperatures and intensifying local weather extremes – together with warmth stress with report temperatures, wildfires, warmth waves, glacier ice loss and lack of snowfall,” mentioned Elisabeth Hamdouch, the deputy head of unit for Copernicus on the EU’s government fee.
The report serves up a continental complement for WMO’s flagship state of the worldwide local weather report, which has been revealed yearly for 3 many years, and this 12 months got here with a “purple alert” warning that the world is not doing sufficient to battle the implications of worldwide warming.
Copernicus has reported that March marked the tenth straight month of report month-to-month temperatures. The typical sea-surface temperature for the ocean throughout Europe hit its highest annual degree in 2023, the Europe report mentioned.
The European report focuses this 12 months on the affect of excessive temperatures on human well being, noting that deaths associated to warmth have risen throughout the continent. It mentioned greater than 150 lives have been misplaced instantly final 12 months in reference to storms, floods and wildfires.
The price of weather- and climate-related financial losses in 2023 have been estimated at greater than 13.4 billion euros (about $14.3 billion).
“A whole bunch of 1000’s of individuals have been affected by excessive local weather occasions in 2023, which have been chargeable for giant losses at continental degree, estimated to be not less than within the tens of billions of euros,” mentioned Copernicus director Carlo Buontempo. “Sadly, these figures are unlikely and more likely to get smaller, not less than within the close to future.”
Excessive climate fanned warmth waves, wildfires, droughts and flooding, the report mentioned. Excessive temperatures have contributed to a lack of glacier ice on the continent, together with within the Alps – which have misplaced about 10% of their remaining glacier ice during the last two years.
Nonetheless, the report’s authors pointed to some exceptions, reminiscent of how temperatures have been beneath common in Scandinavia and Iceland even when the mercury was larger than common throughout a lot of the continent as a complete.
