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, stated 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 yr, up from 36% the yr earlier than, the businesses say of their European State of the Local weather report for final yr. Extra power in Europe was generated from renewables than from fossil fuels for the second yr working.
The newest five-year averages present that temperatures in Europe are actually working 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 underneath the 2015 Paris local weather accord to restrict international warming to 1.5 levels Celsius.
“Europe noticed yet one more yr of accelerating temperatures and intensifying local weather extremes – together with warmth stress with document temperatures, wildfires, warmth waves, glacier ice loss and lack of snowfall,” stated Elisabeth Hamdouch, the deputy head of unit for Copernicus on the EU’s govt fee.
The report serves up a continental complement for WMO’s flagship state of the worldwide local weather report, which has been printed yearly for 3 a long time, and this yr got here with a “crimson alert” warning that the world is not doing sufficient to combat the implications of world warming.
Copernicus has reported that March marked the tenth straight month of document month-to-month temperatures. The common sea-surface temperature for the ocean throughout Europe hit its highest annual stage in 2023, the Europe report stated.
The European report focuses this yr on the influence of excessive temperatures on human well being, noting that deaths associated to warmth have risen throughout the continent. It stated greater than 150 lives have been misplaced straight final yr 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 lot of 1000’s of individuals have been affected by excessive local weather occasions in 2023, which have been chargeable for giant losses at continental stage, estimated to be at the very least within the tens of billions of euros,” stated Copernicus director Carlo Buontempo. “Sadly, these figures are unlikely and more likely to get smaller, at the very least within the close to future.”
Excessive climate fanned warmth waves, wildfires, droughts and flooding, the report stated. 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, similar to how temperatures have been under 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 yr, up from 36% the yr earlier than, the businesses say of their European State of the Local weather report for final yr. Extra power in Europe was generated from renewables than from fossil fuels for the second yr working.
The newest five-year averages present that temperatures in Europe are actually working 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 underneath the 2015 Paris local weather accord to restrict international warming to 1.5 levels Celsius.
“Europe noticed yet one more yr of accelerating temperatures and intensifying local weather extremes – together with warmth stress with document temperatures, wildfires, warmth waves, glacier ice loss and lack of snowfall,” stated Elisabeth Hamdouch, the deputy head of unit for Copernicus on the EU’s govt fee.
The report serves up a continental complement for WMO’s flagship state of the worldwide local weather report, which has been printed yearly for 3 a long time, and this yr got here with a “crimson alert” warning that the world is not doing sufficient to combat the implications of world warming.
Copernicus has reported that March marked the tenth straight month of document month-to-month temperatures. The common sea-surface temperature for the ocean throughout Europe hit its highest annual stage in 2023, the Europe report stated.
The European report focuses this yr on the influence of excessive temperatures on human well being, noting that deaths associated to warmth have risen throughout the continent. It stated greater than 150 lives have been misplaced straight final yr 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 lot of 1000’s of individuals have been affected by excessive local weather occasions in 2023, which have been chargeable for giant losses at continental stage, estimated to be at the very least within the tens of billions of euros,” stated Copernicus director Carlo Buontempo. “Sadly, these figures are unlikely and more likely to get smaller, at the very least within the close to future.”
Excessive climate fanned warmth waves, wildfires, droughts and flooding, the report stated. 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, similar to how temperatures have been under common in Scandinavia and Iceland even when the mercury was larger than common throughout a lot of the continent as a complete.
