Europe’s climate is warming twice as fast as the global average, according to a report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), which warns that the trend seen over the past 30 years is likely to cause exceptional growth. in temperatures, plant fires and floods, reports “The Guardian”, citing News.ro.

The consequences of this warming are already visible. The entire continent faced the phenomenon of drought, forest fires and melting glaciers.

A report on the state of Europe’s climate, prepared jointly with the EU’s Copernicus service, warns that as the warming trend continues, extreme temperatures, forest fires, floods and other effects of climate change will affect society, the economy and ecosystems.

The first rain

From 1991 to 2021, temperatures in Europe rose by an average of almost 0.5 degrees Celsius per decade, with physical consequences: Alpine glaciers lost 30 meters of ice between 1997 and 2021, and the Greenland ice sheet also melted, contributing to rising levels sea. rise.

In the summer of 2021, Greenland experienced its first ever recorded rain at the highest point, Summit Station.

People died as a result of extreme weather events. The report found that in 2021, severe weather and climate events, 84% of which were floods and storms, caused hundreds of deaths, directly affected more than 500,000 people and caused more than US$50 billion in economic losses.

However, there is good news. The report notes that many European countries have succeeded in significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions, with EU emissions falling by 31% between 1990 and 2020.

Europe has also taken measures to protect the population from the worst effects of the climate emergency: warning systems for extreme weather conditions protect about 75% of the population, and action plans to deal with the consequences of heat waves have saved many lives.

Why is Europe heating up faster and what will be the consequences?

It is very likely that this trend in Europe’s climate will continue, and more meteorological cataclysms can be predicted in the future, says the WMO report.

“Even well-prepared societies are not immune to the effects of extreme weather events,” warned WMO Secretary-General Professor Petteri Taalas.

The report predicts that temperatures will rise in all regions of Europe at a rate that will exceed changes in the global average temperature.

A devastating drought

As the climate warms to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels, weather events will accelerate and less summer rainfall could cause devastating droughts.

Heavy rains and flooding are then likely to follow in the final months of the year in all regions except the Mediterranean.

There are a number of reasons why Europe is warming faster than other parts of the world.

First of all, the continent has a large portion of land that heats up faster than the sea.

The soil of Europe has a rather low degree of moisture

The Arctic and high northern latitudes in general are also the fastest warming regions globally, and a relatively large part of Europe is in northern latitudes.

A chain reaction may also contribute to this warming. For example, the soil in Europe has a fairly low level of moisture, and as the temperature rises faster, the soil becomes even more arid.

Another example of a chain effect is Europe’s vulnerability to twin air currents. This “twin” effect occurs when the current temporarily splits in two, leaving a zone between its two branches where the wind is weak and the atmospheric pressure is high, causing intense heat.

In addition, scientists note that European cities are “heat islands” and therefore experience even more extreme temperatures, reports The Guardian, cited by News.ro.

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