Climate change: Temperatures in Europe are rising at twice the rate of the rest of the world

Pandemic, energy crisis, war… Europe is in the midst of a new reality, which moves on three fronts, at the same time that a great and insidious “enemy” has already begun to show its “teeth”. The climate crisis is expected to be added soon – in real time – to the three major crises facing the Old Continent.

According to a new report by the World Meteorological Organization, temperatures in Europe have risen more than twice the global average over the past 30 years.

The effects of this warming are already visible, with droughts, fires and melting ice across the continent. The State of the European Climate report, produced with the EU’s Copernicus agency, warns that as the warming trend continues, extreme heat, fires, floods and other effects of climate collapse will affect society, economies and ecosystems.

From 1991 to 2021, temperatures in Europe are increasing by an average of about 0.5 C per decade. This had physical effects: Alpine glaciers lost 30 meters of ice thickness between 1997 and 2021, while the Greenland ice sheet also melted, contributing to sea-level rise. In the summer of 2021, Greenland had its first recorded rainfall at its highest point, Summit Station.

Lives have been lost as a result of extreme weather events: The report says that in 2021, high-impact weather and climate events – 84% of which were floods and storms – led to hundreds of deaths, directly affected more than 500,000 people and caused economic damages that exceeded 50 billion dollars.

“Europe presents a vivid picture of a warming world and reminds us that even well-prepared societies are not safe from the effects of extreme weather events,” said WMO Secretary-General Professor Petteri Taalas. “This year, as in 2021, large parts of Europe have been hit by widespread heat and drought, fueling wildfires. In 2021, extraordinary floods caused death and destruction.”

It also found that this trend was very likely to continue, with more weather disasters predicted in the future. It predicts that temperatures will rise across all European regions at a rate that exceeds global average temperature changes, similar to past observations. As the climate warms to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, weather events will accelerate, with dwindling summer rainfall likely to trigger devastating droughts. Extreme rain and flooding are likely to follow in the coming months in all regions except the Mediterranean.

The good news: The report notes that many European countries have made progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and EU emissions fell by 31% between 1990 and 2020. Europe has also acted to protect people from the worst effects of climate change. emergency response, with extreme weather warning systems protecting around 75% of people, while heat-health action plans have saved many lives.

“On the mitigation side, the good pace of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the region should continue and ambitions should be raised further. Europe can play a key role in achieving a carbon-neutral society by mid-century to fulfill the Paris Agreement [για το κλίμα]Taalas stated.

There are several reasons why Europe has warmed faster than other parts of the world. It has a high percentage of land mass, which warms faster than the sea. The Arctic and high northern latitudes in general are also the fastest warming regions globally, and a relatively large part of Europe is in northern latitudes.

Feedback systems could also contribute, such as dry soil moisture meaning temperatures rise faster, resulting in more drying soil. Another example of feedback loops is Europe’s vulnerability to twin jet streams.

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