Europe is the continent experiencing the most rapid increase in temperature, with its temperatures rising at approximately twice the global average, as reported by two top climate watchdogs on Monday. This raises concerns about human health, glacier melting, and the impact on economic activity.
The World Meteorological Organization of the United Nations and the European Union’s climate change agency Copernicus jointly reported that the African continent has the potential to transition to renewable resources like wind, solar, and hydropower in response to the effects of climate change. There is an opportunity to develop specific strategies to accelerate action on climate change.
Last year, the European Climate Report stated that the continent generated 43% of its electricity from renewable sources, up from 36% the previous year. In Europe, more energy was produced from renewables than fossil fuels for the second consecutive year.
According to the report, the latest five-year average temperature shows Europe to be currently 2.3 degrees Celsius (4.1 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels, compared to the global temperature being 1.3 degrees Celsius warmer. This is just below the target set in the 2015 Paris climate agreement to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Nick Paleologos/Bloomberg from Getty Images File
“Europe has continued to face rising temperatures and extreme weather events this year, including heat stress from record temperatures, wildfires, heatwaves, glacier ice loss, and inadequate snowfall,” said Elisabeth Hamdoush, Deputy Division Chief of the EU Executive Director Copernicus.
This report complements the World Meteorological Organization’s flagship State of the World Climate Report, which has been published annually for 30 years and this year issued a “Red Alert” warning that the world is not taking sufficient action to combat the effects of global warming.
In March, Copernicus reported achieving a record for 10 consecutive months of record-breaking temperatures. According to a European report, the average sea surface temperature across oceans in Europe is expected to reach its highest annual level in 2023.
This year’s European report focuses on the impact of high temperatures on human health, noting a rise in heat-related deaths across the continent. Over 150 lives were directly lost due to storms, floods, and wildfires last year.
Economic losses related to weather and climate in 2023 are estimated to exceed 13.4 billion euros (around $14.3 billion).
Carlo Buontempo, Director of Copernicus, stated, “In 2023, hundreds of thousands of people will be affected by extreme weather events causing significant damage at a continental level, with an estimated cost of at least tens of billions of euros.” “It’s been done,” he said.
The report highlights that extreme weather conditions have led to heatwaves, wildfires, droughts, and floods. High temperatures are causing the reduction of glaciers on continents, including the Alps, where about 10% of glaciers have been lost over the past two years. Glacier ice has been declining.
Nevertheless, the authors of the report pointed out some exceptions, such as Scandinavia and Iceland, where temperatures were below average despite above-average mercury concentrations across much of the continent.
Source: www.nbcnews.com
