According to a joint report by the UN’s World Meteorological Organization (UN) and the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, temperatures have risen on average 0.5 degrees Celsius every decade since 1991.
The result was that the Alpine glaciers experienced a 30-meter (just under 100 feet!) decrease in ice thickness from 1997 to 2021. Meanwhile, the Greenland Ice Sheet is rapidly melting, contributing to an acceleration of sea level rise.
Greenland saw its first-ever recorded rainfall at its highest level last year. The report warned that, regardless of global warming futures, Europe’s temperatures will likely rise at a rate greater than global average temperature changes.
Petteri Taalas, chief of WMO, stated in a statement that “Europe presents an enviable picture of a warming planet and reminds us of the fact that even well-prepared societies can be affected by extreme weather events.”
WMO divides the world into six regions. The European region covers 50 countries and includes half of the rapidly warming Arctic. This is not a continent.
Antarctica, which is a continent that falls outside of the six WMO-described regions, is experiencing rapid warming.
‘Vulnerable’
The UN’s 27th Conference on Climate Change will open in Egypt this Sunday. This new report examines the current situation in Europe, including 2021.
It discovered that high-impact weather events and climate events, mainly flooding and storms, caused hundreds of deaths last year. They also directly affected over half a million people and caused economic damage in Europe totaling $50 billion.
The report also highlighted positives such as the success of many European countries in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. These emissions fell almost a third across the EU between 1990 and 2020. The bloc also aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55 percent by 2030.
The report also stated that Europe is one of the most advanced regions in cross-border cooperation to adapt to climate change. The report also highlighted Europe’s leading deployment of early warning systems worldwide, which provides protection for approximately 75 percent of the population. It also noted that its heat-health action plan had saved many lives.
Carlo Buontempo (head of Copernicus European Centre of Medium-range Weather Forecasts, ECMWF) stated that “European society” is susceptible to climate variability and changes. “But Europe is at the forefront in the international effort to reduce climate change and to find innovative solutions to adapt to the new climate Europeans must live with,” said Buontempo.
Kundan Goyal has 6+ years of experience in news editing and market research. He has helped businesses of all sizes make strategic decisions and predict future trends. Kundan only publishes content that will help them grow their sales and revenue. He publishes business news in many different categories to help industry’s learn more about any product.In his spare time, he enjoys cooking and listening music .
