A youth runs over what remains of the glacier, that lost most of its volume during the last years, on top of the Zugspitze mountain near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. (AP, file)Temperatures in Europe have been increasing at a rate that’s more than twice that of the global average over the past 30 years, said the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), adding that the effects of this are being seen through the severe heatwaves, droughts, snowfalls and flooding in the region.
In the first of a planned annual series of reports put forth by the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service and the WMO, Secretary-General Prof. Petteri Taalas said that that continent presents a “live picture of a warming world.”
“[Europe] reminds us that even well-prepared societies are not safe from impacts of extreme weather events. This year, like 2021, large parts of Europe have been affected by extensive heatwaves and drought, fuelling wildfires. In 2021, exceptional floods caused death and devastation,” said Taalas.
As per a report in The Guardian, one of the reasons why Europe is disproportionately heating up is because it has a larger land mass which heats up faster than the sea. The parts of land in northern latitudes, where most of Europe lies, are also generally warming up faster.
Climbing temperatures
Globally, annual mean temperatures have been rising steadily, with the seven years between 2015 and 2021 being the seven warmest years on record, said the report. In Europe, during the 1991-2001 period, temperatures have risen by +0.5 °C per decade. The increasing temperatures have resulted in the Alpine glacier losing a considerable amount of its thickness and Greenland recording rainfall for the first time at the summit point.
The report added that rainfall and snow were only slightly higher than normal in parts of central and eastern Europe in 2021, and could not make up for the shortfall in the three previous years.
It also noted that of the 23 most severe heatwaves that have taken place since 1950, 16 occurred after 2000. The heat drove up temperatures, setting new records in several regions, including Syracuse in Sicily, Italy where the mercury hit 48.8 °C on August 11.
Casualties, economic costs
The rising greenhouse gas concentrations and temperatures have triggered several high-impact events like the flooding in Germany and Belgium, record heatwaves in the UK, severe snowstorms in Spain and forest fires in the Mediterranean region.
These events have killed hundreds, injured several others and resulted in widespread damage to livelihood and property. The WMO report estimates that in 2021 alone, at least 297 people were killed and over 5.1 lakh people were directly affected by 51 high-impact climate events. These events also resulted in economic damages of around $50 billion. More than landslides, storms, extreme temperatures or wildfires, floods caused the most harm, causing over 80% of overall casualties and economic problems.
“The death toll of over 230 people [due to floods] was unprecedented. In Germany at least 189 people died and in Belgium at least 42 people died,” said the report, adding that the economic losses were huge as well. “In Germany, more than 130 km of motorways were closed directly after the event, and 600 km of railway tracks were damaged,” it said.
A bit of good news
The report, which predicted a dire increase in climate change-related events in future, provided a sliver lining also. It said that the European Union succeeded in cutting down greenhouse gases by 31% in the 1990-2020 period, exceeding the goal which was set at 11 percentage points.
The report said that emissions saw a steep cut in 2019 and 2020. While the 2020 numbers were driven by the reduced activity during the coronavirus pandemic, the 2019 numbers were fossil fuel price effects and policy measures, said the report. It added that while the emissions are expected to be higher in 2021 than in 2020, the greenhouse gas emissions are expected to decline till 2030.
The European Union has pledged to reduce its emission by 55% by 2030, compared with the numbers in 1990.
“Member States have not yet realigned their ambitions to the new net 55% reduction target for 2030, and the further implementation of impactful policies and measures will be important to bring the new 2030 target within reach. In other countries of the region, reductions targets for 2030 range in general from 35% to 55% compared with 1990,” said the report.