Europe has experienced unprecedented levels of extreme heat, surpassing any previous records for heat stress, according to the EU’s Copernicus service and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The year 2023 saw temperatures reach their highest or second-highest levels ever due to heat-trapping pollutants in the atmosphere.
Europe faced extreme daytime temperatures and uncomfortable nighttime warmth, with heat-related deaths increasing by 30% over the past two decades. The WMO’s Celeste Saulo warned that the cost of climate action, while significant, pales in comparison to the cost of inaction.
Temperatures across Europe were above average for 11 months in 2023, including the warmest September ever recorded.
This prolonged heat, combined with dry conditions, led to devastating wildfires, particularly in drought-stricken southern countries like Portugal, Spain, and Italy. Greece experienced the largest wildfire in the EU’s history, burning 96,000 hectares.
Despite extreme climate events, renewable energy use surged to a record 43% in 2023.The report also noted an increase in rainfall, with Europe being about 7% wetter in 2023 than in the past three decades. One-third of the river network experienced high flood levels, and one-sixth faced severe flooding.
Carlo Buontempo of Copernicus highlighted the severity of the year’s climate events, including severe marine heatwaves and widespread flooding.
The link between global warming and intense rainfall is complex, but the connection between heatwaves and climate change is clearer.
While the report did not provide 2023 heat-related death figures, previous estimates from 2022 suggest around 70,000 excess deaths. Friederike Otto from Imperial College London noted that the extra heat from fossil fuel emissions likely played a significant role in these deaths.
The report follows a European Court of Human Rights ruling against Switzerland’s inadequate climate policies, emphasizing the need for more stringent measures to keep global temperatures from rising 1.5°C above preindustrial levels. Ana Raquel Nunes from the University of Warwick stressed the urgent need for climate policies that protect health and future generations.
Despite the dire climate impacts, the report highlighted a positive trend: renewable energy use reached a record 43% of total electricity generation in 2023, up from 36% the previous year. Otto emphasized that continued reliance on fossil fuels will exacerbate heat waves and further endanger vulnerable populations.