Very bad news for Europe

[Brenda]

22nd April 2024

Last year Europe experienced its joint warmest or second warmest year on record, depending on the dataset, while the average sea surface temperature across Europe was the warmest on record. The 2023 edition of the Copernicus Climate Change Service’s (C3S*) European State of the Climate (ESOTC) report, produced jointly with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) for the first time, paints a sombre picture. Along with record temperatures came drier-than-average surface soil moisture, wildfires, droughts, and flooding. Here, we take a closer look at some of the main findings from ESOTC 2023. For a comprehensive review of the state of the climate in Europe, the Arctic, and globally in 2023, read the full report , or you can get a detailed snapshot in the ESOTC 2023 summary.

The 2023 ESOTC report, published on 22 April, provides descriptions and analysis of climate conditions and variations from across the Earth system. This year, in addition to examining key events and their impacts, it also discusses climate policy and action, with a focus on human health. The data in ESOTC 2023 sound a warning bell for urgent coordinated global action to mitigate climate change.

Europe is the fastest warming continent, with temperatures rising at around twice the global average rate. According to ESOTC 2023, the three warmest years on record for Europe have all occurred since 2020, and the ten warmest since 2007.

Linked to the high temperatures, 2023 saw a record number of days with ‘extreme heat stress’. The report notes that there is an increasing trend in the number of days with at least ‘strong heat stress’ across Europe. At the peak of a heatwave in July, 41% of southern Europe was affected by at least ‘strong heat stress’, with potential for health impacts. Overall, the number of adverse health impacts related to extreme weather and climate events is rising - heat-related mortality has increased by around 30% in the past 20 years and heat-related deaths are estimated to have increased in 94% of the European regions monitored.

https://climate.copernicus.eu/widespread-floods-severe-heatwaves-esotc-2023-puts-europes-climate-focus#:~:text=Europe%20is%20the%20fastest%20warming,the%20ten%20warmest%20since%202007.