Temperatures in Europe rising faster than rest of the world

New data has revealed that Europe is warming at a faster pace than anywhere else on the planet.

The State of the Climate in Europe report was produced jointly by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service.

Temperatures in Europe increased by the highest of any continent over the last 30 years. The #StateOfClimate in Europe presents a live picture of a warming world.

Press release👉 https://t.co/fvRzBUauOL

🤝@CopernicusECMWF pic.twitter.com/KRvhGiHOOv

— World Meteorological Organization (@WMO) November 2, 2022

"Temperatures in Europe have increased at more than twice the global average over the past 30 years — the highest of any continent in the world. As the warming trend continues, exceptional heat, wildfires, floods, and other climate change impacts will affect society, economies, and ecosystems," the Copernicus press statement reads.

"Temperatures over Europe have warmed significantly over the 1991-2021 period, at an average rate of about +0.5C per decade," the statement adds. "As a result, Alpine glaciers lost 30 metres in ice thickness from 1997 to 2021. The Greenland ice sheet is melting and contributing to accelerating sea level rise.

"In 2021, high-impact weather and climate events led to hundreds of fatalities, directly affected more than half a million people and caused economic damages exceeding $50bn (€50.5bn). About 84% of the events were floods or storms," Copernicus said.

"European people's health is impacted by climate change in a myriad of ways, including death and illness from increasingly frequent extreme weather events (heatwaves), increases in zoonoses and food, water, and vector-borne diseases, and mental health issues.

The combination of climate breakdown, urbanisation, and an ageing population in regions of Europe experiencing heatwaves will further exacerbate vulnerability to heat.

"Climate change-induced alterations in the production and distribution of pollens and spores may lead to increases in allergic disorders. Over 24% of adults living in the European region suffer from various allergies, including severe asthma, while the proportion among children in the region is 30–40% and rising.

"Climate change also affects the distribution of vector-borne diseases. Examples include ticks (Ixodes ricinus), which can spread Lyme illness and tick-borne encephalitis," the Copernicus statement posits.

"It’s not all bad news. A number of countries in Europe have been very successful in cutting greenhouse gas emissions. In particular, in the EU greenhouse gas emissions decreased 31% between 1990 and 2020, with a net 55% reduction target for 2030.

"Europe is also one of the most advanced regions in cross-border co-operation in climate change adaptation, in particular across transnational river basins. It is one of the world leaders in providing effective early warning systems, with about 75% of people protected. Heat-health action plans have saved many lives from extreme heat," Copernicus said.

Today, new UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (finally) confirmed that he will attend the COP27 conference in Egypt, despite previously stating that he was not available to go. He has pledged to invest in renewables, but this will make little difference unless the Tories halt all investment in fossil fuels.

I welcome Rishi Sunak's decision to attend COP27.

But his U-turn will count for nothing unless he reverses the rest of the Tories' eco-cidal agenda.

Make polluters pay. End subsidies for fossil fuels. No new coal, oil or gas. We need a just transition to renewable energy, now. https://t.co/nkxYWMZItm

— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) November 2, 2022