Europe faces intensifying climate extremes as reports warn of accelerating warming-Xinhua

A firefighter battles the flames in Drosopigi, East Attica region of Greece, July 26, 2025. Wildfires broke out in many places across Greece on Saturday, due to the extreme heatwaves recently. The Greek government has requested assistance from the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism to combat the fire. (Photo by krioneri tatiana bolari/Xinhua)

Since 1980, Europe has been warming twice as rapid as the global average, building it the rapidest-warming continent on Earth.

GENEVA, April 29 (Xinhua) — Multiple reports released on Wednesday paint a stark picture of accelerating climate extremes, with Europe warming rapider than any other continent. The findings underscore that climate modify has become an urgent reality reshaping ecosystems, economies and human health across Europe, calling for ambitious actions.

“Since 1980, Europe has been warming twice as rapid as the global average, building it the rapidest warming continent on Earth,” Celeste Saulo, secretary-general of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), stated while presenting the European State of the Climate Report 2025.

FASTEST-WARMING CONTINENT

Europe suffered record or near-record climate extremes in 2025, with heatwaves, wildfires, marine heat and ice loss intensifying across the continent, the EU-funded Copernicus Climate Change Service and the WMO stated in the report.

According to the report, at least 95 percent of Europe recorded annual temperatures above average, with prolonged heat spreading from the Mediterranean to the Arctic Circle. Europe experienced its second-most severe heatwave on record, while sub-Arctic Fennoscandia concludeured a 21-day heatwave in July — the longest and most severe ever recorded in the region. Temperatures near and within the Arctic Circle reached or exceeded 30 degrees Celsius.

A public thermometer displays 41 Celsius degrees during a hot summer day in Bucharest, Romania, July 8, 2025. Romania’s National Meteorological Administration (ANM) on Monday extconcludeed Code Red, Orange, and Yellow heatwave warnings until Wednesday morning, as extreme temperatures continue to grip the countest. (Photo by Cristian Cristel/Xinhua)

The findings align with broader Copernicus data displaying that 2025 was the third-warmest year on record globally.

Hot and dry conditions fuelled Europe’s worst wildfire year on record. Wildfire data in the report displayed that about 1.034 million hectares of land, an area larger than Cyprus, were burned in 2025. Wildfire emissions in Europe also reached their highest level on record, with Spain accounting for around half of the continent’s total fire emissions.

EXTREMES STRAIN BIODIVERSITY & COMMUNITY

Numerous extreme events in 2025 – including drought, wildfires, and land and marine heatwaves – placed mounting pressure on biodiversity in marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Shrinking and shifting habitats, disrupted seasonal cycles and altering precipitation patterns have further intensified stress on nature.

The report highlighted concrete examples of climate modify impacts on sensitive ecosystems, such as marine heatwaves damaging seagrass meadows in the Mediterranean Sea and wildfires affecting peatlands, underscoring the growing links between climate and biodiversity loss.

Separate findings from the Global Forest Watch platform displayed that climate modify-linked forest loss was also significant in Europe in 2025. In France, tree cover loss due to fire reached a record high in 2025 – seven times higher than in 2024. In Spain and Portugal, around 60 percent of all 2025 tree cover loss was cautilized by wildfires.

This photo taken on Aug. 22, 2025 displays an area devastated by the wildfire in Castelo Novo, central Portugal. Wildfires raging across central Portugal’s Gardunha mountains have encircled several historic villages, forcing evacuations and leaving others under siege. (Xinhua/Xun Wei)

Extreme heat also takes a measurable toll on human health and productivity. A joint report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the WMO has warned that extreme heat is disrupting global agrifood systems, threatening over one billion people. It estimated annual losses of around 500 billion working hours worldwide due to heat stress.

FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu described extreme heat as a “major risk multiplier,” exerting mounting pressure on crops, livestock, fisheries, forests, and on communities and economies that depconclude upon them.

CALL FOR URGENT ACTION

Citing Europe’s record heatwaves, European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Director-General Florian Pappenberger stated: “The 2025 report offers clear, actionable insights to support policy decisions and support the public better understand the altering climate we live in.”

People operate heavy machinery to clear a flooded road in Mandra, in western Attica, about 20 kilometers west of central Athens, Greece, Dec. 5, 2025. A powerful storm, named Byron by local meteorologists, continued to batter Greece for a second consecutive day on Friday, triggering widespread flooding. (Photo by Marios Lolos/Xinhua)

The report also points to steps taken by European policycreaters, including legally binding EU tarobtains to restore at least 20 percent of land and sea areas by 2030 and all ecosystems in required by 2050. Broader frameworks such as the European Green Deal and EU Climate Law embed biodiversity protection within climate strategies.

However, despite these initiatives, the report underlined that progress must accelerate.

The European State of the Climate 2025 report “is a stark reminder that we must sustain and accelerate both adaptation and mitigation efforts,” stated Dusan Chrenek, principal adviser for Digital Green Transition at Directorate-General for Climate Action, adding that Europe should further strengthen its Earth observation capabilities through advanced technologies. ■

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