Europe's temperature is the fastest in the world

Europe is warming faster than any other region in the world, increasing the risk of forest fires and floods .

According to the annual summary report of scientists at the Copernicus Climate Change Agency and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the European region will experience its hottest year on record in 2023, showing that alarming future of the fastest-warming continent in the world.

Europe saw the largest wildfires on record last year, as well as some of the most damaging floods ever.

People witness a forest fire near the village of Sikorrachi, Alexandroupolis, Greece on August 23, 2023. (Photo: Bloomberg).

Europe is warming the fastest

The report said 2023 was one of the hottest years on record in Europe, caused by climate change and the El Nino weather pattern. Extreme temperatures have fueled wildfires in the area. The area of ​​forest burned last year is equal to the total area of ​​the cities of London, Paris and Berlin combined.

In particular, Greece recorded the largest forest fire ever in the European Union (EU), with 960km2 ^burned , equivalent to twice the area of ​​the country's Athens metropolitan area.

According to WMO data, the global average temperature in 2023 will be 1.45 degrees Celsius higher than pre-industrial times. Warmer temperatures lead to heavy rainfall. All of Europe received about 7% more rain than usual.

In August 2023, Slovenia was hit by devastating floods that caused billions of euros in damage, becoming one of the worst natural disasters for an EU country.

The town area of ​​Ravne na Koroskem in Slovenia was deeply flooded during the August 2023 flood. (Photo: CNN).

According to Samantha Burgess, Deputy Director of Copernicus and one of the authors of the "State of Europe's Climate" report , the report paints a worrying picture for the continent, in the context of Atmospheric emissions of carbon dioxide and methane continue to rise, while the rate of warming in Europe is running at about 0.4 degrees Celsius per decade, double the global average.

" As air temperatures and greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere continue to rise, we will continue to witness extreme weather events, becoming more frequent and more intense ," Ms. Burgess said. "So we will likely continue to see other records until we stabilize the climate and achieve net zero emissions."

Europe is forecast to adapt to higher temperatures faster than any other region, with areas near the Arctic, such as Greenland, warming the fastest.

The entire continent would face warming of 3 degrees Celsius, even if the world succeeds in limiting global temperature rise to that level. The impacts will be most pronounced in areas such as the Alps, where glaciers have lost their remaining 10% of their volume over the past two years.

Temperatures in some areas of Europe almost reached 50 degrees Celsius during the peak of the heat wave on July 23, 2023. (Photo: European Space Agency)

Positive signals

Although man-made greenhouse gases are the main factor driving global temperature increases, Europe's unusual rise is partly driven by ocean currents and a warmer atmosphere . Meanwhile, regulations aimed at cleaning the air also remove heat-reflecting particles from the atmosphere across the continent.

In 2024, Europe could record some positive signals as El Niño shifts to a more neutral state or even a cooler La Niña event.

More severe weather also helped boost Europe's potential renewable energy production thanks to strong winds later in the year and stronger river flows for hydropower. A record amount of clean energy was produced last year, with nearly half coming from renewable sources.

The Copernicus program uses billions of measurements from satellites, ships, airplanes and weather stations worldwide for monthly and seasonal forecasts. Together with the European Space Agency, Copernicus plays a central role in the EU's €16 billion effort to overcome climate change through accurate forecasting. This is the first time this program has cooperated with the World Meteorological Organization WMO to produce this report.

New scientific reports will call for stronger efforts to cut emissions at home and abroad.

Currently, the EU is off track in its efforts to achieve its target of reducing CO2 emissions by 55% by the end of the decade. Polls show support tilting towards parties skeptical of (effective) action on climate change ahead of the European Parliament elections in June this year.