Global warming is progressing faster than expected in Europe. According to the annual report of the World Meteorological Organization and the Copernicus Climate Change Service, the average temperature on the continent is 2.3 degrees warmer than it was at the end of the 19th century.
Temperatures have been rising since the 1990s, breaking records in some cases. Warming has been uneven geographically, reaching about 2 degrees above average in most of Western Europe and even exceeding 3.5 degrees in regions near the Arctic.
The summer of 2022 was the hottest on record in many European countries. According to the report, extreme weather-related events (storms, floods, fires, landslides and heat waves) caused more than 16,000 deaths and directly affected 156,000 people.
Copernicus director Carlo Buontempo said heat extremes are likely to be more frequent and intense across the region.
Europe is the world's fastest-warming continent, according to the report, and has warmed twice as fast as the global average over the past four decades. The continent was not only hot, but also extremely dry. Persistent drought and high temperatures fueled the spread of fires.
With the advent of El Niño – a climate phenomenon where warmer water spreads further and stays closer to the surface, releasing more heat into the atmosphere and creating more moisture – scientists are concerned that 2023 could see more extreme climates highlighted.
However, there is still hope. The report found that renewable energy generated more electricity than fossil gas for the first time last year, with wind and solar making up 22.3% of the EU's electricity, while fossil gas accounted for 20% and coal power 16%.
