Temperatures in Europe have increased more than twice the world average in the last 30 years, the highest increase of any other continent in the world, warns a new report of the World Meteorological Organization (WTO), published today in Geneva.
It should be borne in mind that heat waves, fires, floods and other impacts of climate change will affect society, economies, ecosystems, says the report published ahead of the UN climate change negotiations, COP27, scheduled for the week of next in Sharm-El Sheikh, Egypt.
And the near future will not be better.
Regardless of future levels of global warming, "temperatures will rise in all European areas at a rate that is faster than changes in global average temperature." "Europe presents a direct image of a warming world and reminds us that even well-prepared societies are not safe from the impacts of extreme weather events", commented the General Secretary, Petteri Taalas.