Temperatures in Europe have risen more than twice the world average over the past 30 years, a faster progression than on other continents, the UN said on Wednesday.
According to a report released by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the European climate change service Copernicus, temperatures in Europe experienced a considerable increase in the period 1991-2021, with an increase of at least 0.5°C per decade.
“This is the fastest warming among the six regions defined by the WMO”, said the secretary general of this organization, Finnish Petteri Taalas, in the prologue of the report on climate in the Old Continent.
The Arctic, which as a whole is warming faster than Europe, is not considered a region by the WMO, spokeswoman Clare Nullis told AFP.
As a result of Europe’s rapid warming, glaciers in the Alps lost 30 meters in thickness between 1997 and 2021.
In addition, the Greenland ice sheet is melting, which contributes to accelerating sea level rise. In the summer of 2021, Greenland recorded rainfall for the first time at its highest point, Summit season.
Europe “offers a vivid picture of a warming planet and reminds us that even well-prepared societies are not safe from extreme weather events,” Taalas warned.
In 2021, there was a series of extreme weather and climate phenomena in various parts of Europe,” Taalas recalled.
“The exceptionally severe floods that caused an unprecedented number of deaths and damage in parts of western and central Europe in July, and the destructive fires that ravaged southeastern Europe this summer will remain in the memory of affected nations and in the international climate record.” , he said.
Not all news is bad
These meteorological and climatic phenomena of strong impact left hundreds of deaths in the Old Continent, affected more than half a million people and caused economic damages of more than US$ 50 billion, according to the WMO. Around 84% of the cases were floods, or storms.
This report is released a few days before COP27, the UN climate conference to be held from 6 to 18 November in Egypt.
Signed in 2015, the Paris Agreement on climate sets the objective of containing the increase in the average temperature of the planet below 2°C – and, if possible, below 1.5°C – in relation to the pre-industrial era.
The planet is, however, heading for a warming of 2.6°C by the end of the century, the UN warned in October.
Whatever the pace of global warming, temperatures in all areas of Europe will rise more than the world average, as observed so far, the WMO stressed, which can lead to heat waves, forest fires and floods.
The organization indicates, however, that not all news is bad. Several European countries are well on their way to reducing their greenhouse gas emissions. These emissions have already fallen by 31% between 1990 and 2020 in the European Union. And by 2030, the ambition is to achieve a net reduction of 55%.
“Europe can play a decisive role in the emergence of a carbon neutral society by mid-century to fulfill the Paris Agreement,” Taalas said.
Europe is also one of the most advanced regions in terms of cross-border cooperation to adapt to climate change. In addition, around 75% of its population is protected from natural and meteorological disasters, thanks to effective early warning systems.
“Furthermore, its heatwave action plans have saved many lives,” the WMO acknowledged.
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