WMO: Europe Fastest Warming Continent in World Since 1980s

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Temperatures in Europe have risen twice as fast as the global average since the 1980s, with the average temperature in the region being 2.3 degrees Celsius (4.14 degrees Fahrenheit) above the pre-industrial level, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Monday.

"It shows how Europe has been warming twice as much as the global average since the 1980s, with far-reaching impacts on the region’s socio-economic fabric and ecosystems," the WMO said in a statement, citing the State of the Climate in Europe report.

"In 2022, Europe was approximately 2.3 °C above the pre-industrial (1850-1900) average used as a baseline for the Paris Agreement on climate change."

At the same time, meteorological, hydrological and climate-related hazards in Europe in 2022 resulted in 16,365 reported deaths and directly affected 156,000 people, the organization noted, adding that financial losses in 2022 amounted to at least $2 billion.

"In 2022, many countries in western and south-western Europe had their warmest year on record. Summer was the hottest ever recorded: the high temperatures exacerbated the severe and widespread drought conditions, fuelled violent wildfires that resulted in the second largest burnt area on record, and led to thousands of heat-associated excess deaths," WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas said.

However, the WMO noted that for the first time last year, renewable energy sources in Europe produced more electricity than polluting fossil fuels.

In May, the organization said that global temperatures could reach record highs over the next five years.