The climate crisis has had a profound impact on Europe in recent times, with heatwaves claiming more than 20,000 lives and droughts withering crops, according to a recent report from the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S). The situation is alarming, with drought already baked in for many farmers in 2023, and the only way to mitigate the rising damages of global heating is to rapidly reduce carbon emissions.
Last year’s summer was the hottest on record in Europe, with widespread heatwaves leading to premature deaths and extensive damage to crops. In southern Europe, people endured 70-100 days of heat stress, with temperatures feeling like at least 32C. In the UK, temperatures even reached as high as 40C for the first time. These extreme temperatures, combined with low rainfall, caused drought that affected over a third of the continent at its peak, making it the driest year on record.
Flows in almost two-thirds of Europe’s rivers were lower than average, and high temperatures led to the highest level of summer wildfires in 15 years, with the European Alps experiencing a record loss of ice from glaciers. Europe experienced its second-warmest year ever recorded, with temperatures rising at twice the global average rate.
However, there were some positive notes in the report. The continent received its highest amount of solar radiation in 40 years, thanks to lower cloud cover, enabling above-average levels of solar-power generation.
The findings of the report are frightening, with many scientists warning that the climate crisis is already having a profound impact on Europe. Mauro Facchini, head of earth observation at the European Commission, stated, “We have more and more extreme events happening in Europe. Every one of us can witness that.” Carlo Buontempo, director of C3S, said, “We are really moving into uncharted territory.”
Europe HeatwaveThe report highlights the urgent need to accelerate efforts to reduce carbon emissions, which reached record levels in 2022. Dr. Rebecca Emerton, the lead author of the C3S report, emphasized, “We cannot stop these climate impacts – we can only limit [them] by reducing greenhouse gas emissions rapidly.”
The report also warns of even more devastating consequences to come. A dry winter and spring in 2023 mean that more drought is on the way, and it is likely that crop production will suffer this year. Prof. Daniela Schmidt, at the University of Bristol, urged, “We need to invest to adapt, as we are clearly not prepared for droughts like we have seen in the last year.”
The climate crisis is also affecting the Arctic, with Greenland experiencing record-breaking ice-sheet melt during exceptional heatwaves in September. The report notes that the Arctic and Antarctic ice sheets have lost ice every year since polar satellite records began in 1992, with the seven worst melting years all occurring in the past decade.
The study’s findings have serious implications for global sea levels, with scientists predicting that if the ice sheets continue to melt at this pace, they will contribute between 15cm and 27cm to global sea level rise by 2100.