Europe experienced its second-warmest year ever recorded in 2022 with temperatures on the continent rising much faster than elsewhere.
For several regions, 2022 was the warmest year on record, the annual 'European State of Climate' (ESOTC) report by the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) showed. On average, the past year was 1.2°C warmer than pre-industrial levels from 1850 to 1900.
“The report highlights alarming changes to our climate. Understanding the climate dynamics in Europe is crucial for our efforts to adapt and mitigate the negative impacts climate change has on the continent," said Carlo Buontempo, Director of C3S.
It warned that temperatures in Europe are rising faster than in other continents, "even twice as fast as elsewhere in the world."
Heat stress: hitting humans and nature
In most of Europe, the winter of 2021-2022 was marked by fewer snow days than normal; spring saw below-average precipitation.
As the service already confirmed, Europe experienced the hottest summer ever measured in 2022. This was accompanied by so-called "extreme weather events" such as relentless heatwaves, prolonged periods of drought – Belgium saw its driest July ever – and forest fires.
"This resulted was a record number of days with very strong heat stress in southern Europe (referring to the impact of temperature) humidity and wind speed on the human body. The number of days with strong or even very strong heat stress is increasing."
📢 📊 The #CopernicusClimate Change Service has just released the 2022 European State of the Climate report. A must-read for anyone interested in the latest analysis of #climatechange.
Check it out now ☞ https://t.co/Bika2dAAjK #ESOTC #EUSpace pic.twitter.com/NE6Av6Qs7U — Copernicus ECMWF (@CopernicusECMWF) April 20, 2023
The report, published Thursday, confirmed that carbon emissions from summer wildfires were the highest in 15 years, with some countries seeing the highest emissions in 20 years, while the European Alps saw a record loss of ice from glaciers.
The season was also "marked by unprecedented marine heatwaves in the Mediterranean Sea and record-breaking temperatures in Greenland.
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"The driving force behind these worrying records is rising greenhouse gas emissions. Annual average concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) reached the highest levels ever measured by satellite in 2022," scientists noted. "Those levels will continue to rise unless we start emitting fewer greenhouse gases."
One silver lining is the fact that with Europe receiving its highest amount of surface solar radiation in 40 years, numerous energy records were broken for photovoltaic power generation. All the same, power generation from onshore wind was below-average in most of Europe.
