Europe ‘Frankly Insane' To Keep Importing Fossil Fuels, Scientist Says
Soldiers search wrecked cars in Massassana, eastern Spain, in the aftermath of deadly floods in ... More November 2024.
Leading scientists have reacted with exasperation to a major new climate change report showing that Europe experienced its warmest year on record in 2024, confirming its status as the world's fastest-warming continent.
The report, from two leading EU science bodies, reveals unprecedented climate challenges across the continent, with severe weather events, from flooding to wildfires, affecting over 413,000 people and claiming 335 lives.
The European State of the Climate 2024 report, released by the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), shows that 2024 brought record-breaking temperatures across nearly half of Europe; record-breaking sea surface temperatures, with the Mediterranean Sea 1.2 degrees Celsius above average; and widespread flooding affecting 30% of Europe's river network.
Warning that governments had been complacent about the levels of global warming already seen, which now exceed 1.3 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, Friederike Otto, senior lecturer at the Centre for Environmental Policy and co-lead of World Weather Attribution, Imperial College London, said leaders were "insane" to keep importing fossil fuels such as LNG.
"Think 1.3 degrees of warming is safe? This report lays bare the pain Europe's population is already suffering from extreme weather," Otto told media. "But we're on track to experience 3 degrees Celsius by 2100. You only need to cast your mind back to the floods in Spain, the fires in Portugal, or the summer heatwaves last year to know how devastating this level of warming would be."
Turning to Europe's reliance on imported gas and LNG, Otto went on: "In a volatile global economy, it is frankly insane to keep relying on imported fossil fuels—the main cause of climate change—when renewable energy offers a cheaper and cleaner alternative."
"The EU can't afford to put its climate commitments on the backburner," she added. "It needs to lead the charge and accelerate the shift to evidence-based politics, actually helping low-income people and not oligarchs."
On the shift away from fossil fuels, the Copernicus report found some cause for optimism, noting that the European renewable energy sector had achieved a record 45% of electricity generation from renewable sources in 2024, up from 43% in 2023. Twenty EU countries now generate more electricity from renewables than fossil fuels—nearly double the number from 2019.
European climate adaptation efforts showed promise, too, with 51% of European cities now having dedicated climate adaptation plans, up from 26% in 2018.
But experts warn that renewables are not replacing fossil fuels quickly enough to head off further warming. In January, energy think-tank Ember warned that "an acceleration is needed between now and 2030" if the continent is to achieve its emission-cutting goals.
Responding to the Copernicus report, Sir David King, chair of the Climate Crisis Advisory Group and the U.K.'s former chief science officer, said: "Europe is heating faster than any other continent. This, combined with widespread flooding and record losses of glacial ice, underlines how profoundly Europe is being affected—and why its response to the climate crisis will have global consequences."
King went on to single out the U.S. administration of Donald Trump, which has drastically cut funding and staff from climate and health programs, and has moved to block the development of renewable energy projects.
"As the current U.S. administration fails to even acknowledge the existence of human-caused climate change, Europe must take the reins," King said. "In doing so, countries like the UK, Germany and Norway can set a standard for all progressive countries to match—regardless of US policy. Political bodies and private organizations across Europe must take urgent, decisive action to avoid further catastrophic temperature rises."
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