European Report Indicates Climate Change Impacts in Europe Likely to be Very Significant

The European Environment Agency (EEA) recently released a report entitled Impacts of Europe’s Changing Climate, which calls for the development and implementation of adaptation strategies in Europe in order to limit potential climate change impacts from global warming. Studies strongly suggest that anthropogenic influences have been the key factor contributing to global warming over the past 50 years. The report states that Europe, in particular, has been and will continue warming faster than the global average. As a result, Europe will experience increased impacts on the environment, human health, and various sectors of society, which includes (and is not limited to) an increase in heatwaves and excess deaths attributable to heat particularly among the elderly population, a rise in sea levels of two to four times, more frequent droughts, heavy rain and hail, economic and agricultural losses from droughts, floods, storms and heatwaves, and substantial decreases in snow cover and glaciers.

In order to mitigate these potential impacts of climate change, the European Union says the world’s nations should strive to prevent the global average surface temperature from rising more than 2ºC above its 1990 level, which it regards as the highest value that can be sustained without unacceptable consequences for society and the environment. The EEA report states that in order to achieve this bold goal by 2100, global greenhouse emissions need to be reduced substantially below present levels in coming decades. However, even if the EU goal is reached and emissions of greenhouse gases are substantially reduced over the coming decades, the climate system is projected to continue to change over the coming centuries. Therefore, the report strongly emphasizes the importance of and the need for adapting and preparing for the consequences of potential future climate change.

Both summary and full EEA report available here.