Latest news with #EuropeanStateoftheClimate2024
Zawya
16-04-2025
- Climate
- Zawya
Amid EU climate shift, cities face more floods, extreme heat
Brussels: No other continent is warming as quickly as Europe. The European State of the Climate 2024 report, released Tuesday, shows that the continent broke countless temperature records last year, with extreme weather upending the lives of nearly half a million people. The report, put together by around 100 researchers from the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service and the World Meteorological Organisation, shows that the average temperature across Europe has increased by roughly 2.4 degrees Celsius (4.3 Fahrenheit) since the Industrial Revolution in the mid-19th century. Except for Iceland, where it was cooler than average, the entire continent saw above-average temperatures. Globally, the average temperature has increased by 1.3 Celsius, making 2024 the warmest since weather records began. 'Ocean temperatures were exceptionally high, sea levels continued to rise, ice sheets and glaciers continued to melt,' said Samantha Burgess, one of the report's lead authors, speaking with reporters. 'All this as atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases continued to increase, reaching record levels again in 2024. Since the 1980s, Europe has been warming at twice the global average rate,' she added. Floods, extreme heat endangering people, cities The record temperatures had wide-ranging consequences in 2024. 'It's not just a global average temperature number. It really has an impact at the regional and local scale,' said Florence Rabier, the director-general of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, which contributes to Copernicus. Whether by floods, heat waves, storms or drought, the lives of Europe's roughly 750 million people are being increasingly shaped by extreme weather — fuelled by human-caused climate change. Major flooding in Spain's Valencia region last October and November killed more than 220 people. The amount of heavy rain, which smashed all previous records in only a few hours, left behind destroyed homes, cars and infrastructure, with the Spanish government so far pledging €16 billion ($18 billion) in reconstruction aid and compensation. Just one month earlier, persistent rainfall from Storm Boris caused extensive flooding in towns and cities in eight countries in Central and Eastern Europe. An estimated 413,000 people were affected across Europe last year due to floods and storms, with some 335 losing their lives. At the same time, Europe sweltered through the second-highest number of days with extreme heat stress ever recorded. Eastern Europe, in particular, was especially hot and dry, and Southern Europe saw lengthy droughts, even in the winter months. Europe — and especially cities — need to adapt to changing climate 'Every additional fraction of a degree of temperature rise matters, because it accentuates the risks to our lives, to economies and to the planet,' said Celeste Saulo, the head of the World Meteorological Organisation. 'Adaptation is a must.' Despite the worrying weather trends, global planet-heating greenhouse gas emissions have continued to increase. But Tuesday's report does highlight one glimmer of good news: in 2024, renewable energy production in Europe hit a new high, with some 45% of energy coming from climate-friendly sources like solar, wind and biomass. But when it comes to living with the increasing risk of extreme weather and heat stress, the report warned that European countries needed to strengthen early warning systems and climate adaptation measures — as soon as possible. According to Burgess, long-term global warming over 1.5 degrees Celsius could contribute to at least 30,000 additional deaths in Europe due to extreme heat by 2100. Researchers noted that just over half of European cities have now adopted dedicated climate adaptation plans to confront extreme weather and protect their citizens — up from 26% just seven years ago. Paris, Milan, Glasgow and cities in the Netherlands are leading the way. Among other initiatives, city leaders are creating facilities to protect people from extreme heat, expanding green spaces to help cool urban areas and building out flood protection measures. © Muscat Media Group Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
What are ‘tropical nights'? The growing health threat facing Brits in tourist hotspots
British holidaymakers preparing for a summer holiday abroad this year should be wary of extremely hot evenings as chances of so-called 'tropical nights' increase across Europe, experts have warned. In a new report released on Tuesday, the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service said that Europe is currently the world's fastest-warming continent with the most affected countries, including popular tourist destinations such as Italy, Spain, Turkey and Greece. The report - the European State of the Climate 2024 - also revealed that last year saw a record-breaking rise in "tropical nights", when the minimum daily temperature does not drop below 20C. Despite the exotic-sounding name, tropical nights can cause serious health problems, especially for children and the elderly, and have become increasingly common in south-eastern Europe. The report revealed 23 tropical nights hit the region last summer as a lengthy, serious heatwave engulfed multiple countries. And as Brits prepare for their summer holidays, it is important they are careful in extreme weather conditions - taking measures such as cold showers and avoiding alcohol, caffeine and hot drinks. Prof Dann Mitchell, professor of climate science, University of Bristol, and Met Office joint chair in climate hazards, said night-time temperatures are "really important for our health" because it's at night when our bodies recover. He said: 'Warm nights are associated with distinct physical and mental health burdens, and this is mainly related to our body not being able to recover, which is one of the primary functions of sleep. 'The increased heat stress put on our bodies during tropical nights leads to greater risk of heat-related illnesses, such as heatstroke and cardiovascular failure.' Alongside its warning on tropical nights, the European State of the Climate 2024 found that the continent is warming twice as fast as the global average. It also said Europe experienced the longest heatwave on record in July in southeastern Europe, as well as major glacier mass loss across Scandinavia and Svalbard. Storms were often severe and flooding widespread, with the report highlighting that Europe suffered 'serious impacts from extreme weather'. The 2024 July heatwave lasted 13 consecutive days and affected 55 percent of the region, while there was a record-breaking 66 days with at least 'strong heat stress' - when daily temperatures reach a 'feels-like' temperature of 32°C or higher. The previous average was just 29 days. Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge told Yahoo News: 'Tropical night thresholds are more frequently met in southern Europe and the Mediterranean, but even here the number of events each year is expected to rise.' Increased heat can put the body under stress and high nighttime temperatures can also affect health, offering little respite from high daytime temperatures. Warmer nights can disrupt sleep and cause an uptick in heat-related illnesses, hospital admissions or even death for vulnerable people. The elderly are especially vulnerable as are pregnant women, whose bodies are less able to regulate their temperature, while children can also be susceptible to heat-related illnesses because they have smaller bodies so warm up faster. Experts say the increased heat stress during tropical nights can lead to greater risk of heat-related illnesses, heatstroke and cardiovascular failure. Additionally, the associated lack of sleep is also linked with our mental state, so issues such as anxiety and depression can be heightened. Mitchell said: 'There is a known link between poor sleep patterns, and dementia such as Alzheimer's disease. "A single tropical night will not impact this, but decades worth of them will, and we are expecting to see many more extremely hot nights in the future, due to the increased background temperatures caused by human induced climate change." The number of tropical nights in the UK has increased significantly since the 1960s. According to the Met Office, there were 44 tropical nights in the 30 years between 1961 and 1990, whereas between 1991 to August 2020, 84 tropical nights were recorded - with 21 of them occurring since 2008. During the July 2022 heatwave, the UK recorded its hottest night on record, when a low of 26.8°C was recorded at Shirburn Model Farm in Oxfordshire over a 24-hour period. Madge said that tropical nights are "still rare" in the UK although they are becoming more frequent. 'This can be extremely uncomfortable for sleeping, preventing people from obtaining sufficient rest and respite during heatwave events," he said. "Some, especially those with underlying health conditions can struggle and some may need additional health support or treatment. "With climate change raising UK temperatures we can expect more tropical nights to occur more frequently in line with more extreme heatwaves.' There is a higher frequency in the south of the UK, and this is projected to increase in the coming years. The rise in night-time temperatures can be fatal, too - during the summer of 2022, an extra 2,800 people aged over 65 are estimated to have died from heat-related reasons, according to government data. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said that in England during the summer of 2024, 1,311 heat-related deaths were recorded. While there is still a considerable variation in climate, scientists cannot predict the exact number of tropical nights or heat waves expected this year but believe they will increase. Met Office principal fellow for climate extremes, Paul Davies, said: 'As our climate warms we know that we will see more frequent and more severe hot spells, and we're starting to see the increase in frequency already. 'Tropical nights can have a significant impact on people and infrastructure as there is no time to recover overnight. It is clear that we're already seeing the impact of climate change, and we're likely to see even more tropical nights, even in September, as our climate warms.' Often experts cite climate change as contributing factor to increased temperatures with severe hot weather rising across the continent.
Times of Oman
15-04-2025
- Climate
- Times of Oman
Amid EU climate shift, cities face more floods, extreme heat
Brussels: No other continent is warming as quickly as Europe. The European State of the Climate 2024 report, released Tuesday, shows that the continent broke countless temperature records last year, with extreme weather upending the lives of nearly half a million people. The report, put together by around 100 researchers from the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service and the World Meteorological Organisation, shows that the average temperature across Europe has increased by roughly 2.4 degrees Celsius (4.3 Fahrenheit) since the Industrial Revolution in the mid-19th century. Except for Iceland, where it was cooler than average, the entire continent saw above-average temperatures. Globally, the average temperature has increased by 1.3 Celsius, making 2024 the warmest since weather records began. 'Ocean temperatures were exceptionally high, sea levels continued to rise, ice sheets and glaciers continued to melt,' said Samantha Burgess, one of the report's lead authors, speaking with reporters. 'All this as atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases continued to increase, reaching record levels again in 2024. Since the 1980s, Europe has been warming at twice the global average rate,' she added. Floods, extreme heat endangering people, cities The record temperatures had wide-ranging consequences in 2024. 'It's not just a global average temperature number. It really has an impact at the regional and local scale,' said Florence Rabier, the director-general of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, which contributes to Copernicus. Whether by floods, heat waves, storms or drought, the lives of Europe's roughly 750 million people are being increasingly shaped by extreme weather — fuelled by human-caused climate change. Major flooding in Spain's Valencia region last October and November killed more than 220 people. The amount of heavy rain, which smashed all previous records in only a few hours, left behind destroyed homes, cars and infrastructure, with the Spanish government so far pledging €16 billion ($18 billion) in reconstruction aid and compensation. Just one month earlier, persistent rainfall from Storm Boris caused extensive flooding in towns and cities in eight countries in Central and Eastern Europe. An estimated 413,000 people were affected across Europe last year due to floods and storms, with some 335 losing their lives. At the same time, Europe sweltered through the second-highest number of days with extreme heat stress ever recorded. Eastern Europe, in particular, was especially hot and dry, and Southern Europe saw lengthy droughts, even in the winter months. Europe — and especially cities — need to adapt to changing climate 'Every additional fraction of a degree of temperature rise matters, because it accentuates the risks to our lives, to economies and to the planet,' said Celeste Saulo, the head of the World Meteorological Organisation. 'Adaptation is a must.' Despite the worrying weather trends, global planet-heating greenhouse gas emissions have continued to increase. But Tuesday's report does highlight one glimmer of good news: in 2024, renewable energy production in Europe hit a new high, with some 45% of energy coming from climate-friendly sources like solar, wind and biomass. But when it comes to living with the increasing risk of extreme weather and heat stress, the report warned that European countries needed to strengthen early warning systems and climate adaptation measures — as soon as possible. According to Burgess, long-term global warming over 1.5 degrees Celsius could contribute to at least 30,000 additional deaths in Europe due to extreme heat by 2100. Researchers noted that just over half of European cities have now adopted dedicated climate adaptation plans to confront extreme weather and protect their citizens — up from 26% just seven years ago.
Forbes
15-04-2025
- Science
- Forbes
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."
The Independent
15-04-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
Flood warnings as Europe named as the fastest-warming continent in the world
Europe has been named the fastest-warming continent in the world in a UN-led annual report. The UN-led European State of the Climate 2024, which included contributions from about 100 scientists and experts, found that last year was the warmest on record for the continent as countries were hit by clear climate change impacts, extreme weather and record temperatures. Released on Tuesday by the UN World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), the report details a year of extremes. Storms were often severe, and flooding was the most widespread since 2013, claiming at least 335 lives and affecting around 413,000 people, according to the paper There was a striking east-west contrast in climate conditions, with extremely dry and warm conditions in the east compared to warm but wet conditions in the west, the experts said. They found that Europe is one of the regions with the largest projected increase in flood risk, and a global warming of 1.5C could result in 30,000 annual deaths in Europe due to extreme heat. WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said: 'This report highlights that Europe is the fastest-warming continent and is experiencing serious impacts from extreme weather and climate change. 'Every additional fraction of a degree of temperature rise matters because it accentuates the risks to our lives, to economies and to the planet.' According to the paper, 30 per cent of the European river network exceeded the 'high' flood threshold during the year and 12 per cent exceeded the 'severe' flood threshold. The findings also showed record-high annual temperatures in almost half of the continent and record-high sea surface temperatures in the region, with 0.7C above average. The average temperature increase was particularly steep for the Mediterranean Sea, at 1.2C above average. Elsewhere, the numbers of days with 'strong', 'very strong' and 'extreme heat stress' were found to all be the second highest on record. In September, fires in Portugal burned around 110,000 hectares in one week, representing around a quarter of Europe's total annual burnt area, while an estimated 42,000 people were affected by wildfires in Europe, according to the findings. But for cold extremes, there was a record low number of days with at least a 'strong cold stress'. The area of European land that experienced fewer than three months (90 days) of frost days was also found to be the largest on record. And all European regions saw a loss of ice, with glaciers in Scandinavia and Svalbard seeing their highest rates of mass loss on record, the experts said. In general, Central Europe is one of the regions in the world where glaciers are shrinking the fastest as the UN calls for the preservation of glaciers in 2025. The report also looked at renewable energy progress, finding clean electricity generation reached a record high in 2024, compared to the previous record of 43 per cent in 2023, reflecting Europe's decarbonisation efforts. Florence Rabier, director-general at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, which implements the C3S, said: 'The 2024 report reveals that almost one third of the river network exceeded the high flood threshold, and heat stress continues to increase in Europe, highlighting the importance of building greater resilience. 'With 51 per cent of European cities now having a dedicated climate adaptation plan, this underscores the value of our information, which is rooted in scientific excellence, to better support decision-making around climate adaptation.' Ms Saulo said: 'Adaptation is a must. WMO and its partners are therefore intensifying efforts to strengthen early warning systems and climate services to help decision-makers and society at large to be more resilient. 'We are making progress but need to go further and need to go faster, and we need to go together.'
