Europe — the fastest warming continent on Earth
In 2022, the temperature in Europe was around 2.3 degrees above the pre-industrial average from 1850 to 1900, which is used as the basis for decisions in the Paris Climate Agreement. Since the 1980s, Europe has warmed twice as much as the global average. This is not without far-reaching environmental, social and economic consequences.
In 2022, many countries in western and south-western Europe recorded the warmest year since records began. These included Belgium, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and the UK. At the same time, precipitation was below average in large parts of Europe. This combination exacerbated the severe and widespread drought and led to severe forest fires.
The oceans were also affected by heat: The rate of surface warming in the oceans, particularly in the eastern Mediterranean, Baltic and Black Seas, as well as in the southern Arctic, was more than three times the global average. European glaciers also continued to lose volume. The Alps were hardest hit, with a new record mass loss due to low snowfall in winter and a very warm summer.
Heat stress and climate-related hazards
Heat stress in Europe led to more than 16,000 additional deaths last year, while meteorological, hydrological and climate-related hazards directly affected 156,000 people in Europe, according to information from the Emergency Events Database. The majority of these hazards were related to floods and storms. According to the Copernicus Climate Change Service, these incidents cannot be seen as one-off events. Rather, we need to be prepared for the fact that such serious weather events could occur again and again in the coming years.
Reducing greenhouse gases is essential
In order to stop global warming and reduce extreme weather events such as those Europe has experienced in recent years, a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions is essential. In its latest report “Scientific advice for setting an EU-wide climate target for 2040 and a greenhouse gas budget for 2030-2050”, the Climate Advisory Council also urges the need for far-reaching transformative measures to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. According to this, the EU would have to reduce its emissions by 55% by 2030 and by 90 to 95% by 2050 compared to 1990 levels.
One way of achieving this is through the extensive use of renewable energies such as wind and solar energy, combined with an expansion of alternatives to fossil fuels. On the one hand, this would protect the climate and improve the health of the population, while at the same time reducing water stress and protecting more nature. In addition, however, greenhouse gas emissions from transportation, industry and agriculture, for example, would also have to be drastically reduced while offsetting the emissions at the same time.
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