Europe temperature rise more than twice global average: UN

Since 1991, the European region has on average seen temperatures rise 0.5 degrees Celsius each decade, the UN says

Since 1991, the European region has on average seen temperatures rise 0.5 degrees Celsius each decade, the UN says

Temperatures in Europe have increased at more than twice the global average over the past three decades, showing the fastest rise of any continent on earth, the UN said Wednesday.

The European region has on average seen temperatures rise 0.5 degrees Celsius each decade since 1991, the UN's World Meteorological Organization and the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service found in a joint report.

Last year, Greenland experienced melting and the first-ever recorded rainfall at its highest point.

"Europe presents a live picture of a warming world and reminds us that even well-prepared societies are not safe from impacts of extreme weather events," WMO chief Petteri Taalas said in a statement.

Within Antarctica -- which is a continent but falls outside the six WMO-defined regions --only the West Antarctic Peninsula part is seeing rapid warming.

The new report, released ahead of the UN's 27th conference on climate set to open in Egypt on Sunday, examined the situation in Europe up to and including 2021.

At the same time, the report highlighted some positives, including the success of many European countries in slashing greenhouse gas emissions.

Europe is also one of the most advanced regions when it comes to cross-border cooperation towards climate change adaptation, the report said.

"European society is vulnerable to climate variability and change," said Carlo Buontempo, head of Copernicus's European Centre of Medium-range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF).

- Health concerns -

"This year, like 2021, large parts of Europe have been affected by extensive heatwaves and drought, fuelling wildfires," Taalas said, also decrying "death and devastation" from last year's "exceptional floods".

This is concerning, the report warned, given that the deadliest extreme climate events in Europe are heatwaves, especially in the west and south of the continent.

The shifting climate is also spurring other health concerns.

While more than 24 percent of adults living in the European region suffer from such allergies, including severe asthma, the proportion among children is 30-40 percent and rising, it said.

Asian tiger mosquitos are also moving further north, carrying the risk of Zika, dengue and chikungunya, the report said.

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