Tue, 21-Oct-2025

Europe had its hottest summer last year, climate change report

Europe had its hottest summer last year, climate change report

According to the European Union’s climate monitoring service, Europe had record-breaking extreme weather in 2021, including the hottest day and the warmest summer on record, as well as devastating wildfires and flooding.

The Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said that while the Earth’s surface was nearly 1.2 degrees Celsius warmer than pre-industrial levels last year, Europe saw an average increase of more than two degrees, a threshold beyond which dangerous extreme weather events become more likely and intense.

The hottest summer on record saw a weeks-long heatwave along the Mediterranean coast, as well as Europe’s hottest day, a scorching 48.8°C (120°F) in Sicily.

High temperatures in Greece fueled catastrophic wildfires, which the prime minister called as the country’s “biggest ecological calamity in decades.”

Over 8,000 square kilometres of forest and dwellings were burned to the ground.

Meanwhile, a slow-moving low-pressure system over Germany set a new record for the most rain in a single day in mid-July.

Another unexpected meteorological extreme fueled the rain, with surface water temperatures in parts of the Baltic Sea more than 5 degrees Celsius above average.

“2021 was a year of extremes including the hottest summer in Europe, heatwaves in the Mediterranean, flooding and wind droughts in western Europe,” C3S director Carlo Buontempo said in a statement.

“This shows that the understanding of weather and climate extremes is becoming increasingly relevant for key sectors of society.”

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Climate change: effects, causes and solutions everything you need to know about!

Climate change: effects, causes and solutions everything you need to know about!

Climate change: The average global temperature increased by 0.74°C between 1906 and 2005, with the majority of the warming occurring since 1970. Since pre-industrial times, the average global temperature had risen by over 1°C by 2015. Sixteen of the seventeen warmest years on record have occurred in the twenty-first century.

This warming isn’t uniform across the globe. Some ecologically critical locations, such as the poles, are warming at twice or three times the global average.

What is climate change?

Climate change is the long-term increase in the earth’s average surface temperature and the large-scale changes in global, regional, and local weather patterns that result from that increase, caused by a significant increase in the levels of greenhouse gases that are produced by the use of fossil fuels.

The main causes of climate change are:

  • Increased use of fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, and gas, to create electricity, power automobiles and other modes of transportation, and power manufacturing and industry
  • Because living trees absorb and store carbon dioxide, deforestation is a problem.
  • Intensive agriculture — which creates greenhouse gases such as methane and nitrous oxide – is becoming more common.
  • Drastic Weather Changes – Drastic weather changes can also cause climate change. Natural disasters such as hurricanes and floods can wreak havoc on the ecosystem, affecting the climate in the process.
  • Industrialization – As a result of increased development, more energy is produced and allocated, releasing bigger amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere than in the past.

Impacts of climate change in our world:

  • Weather patterns are becoming more erratic, which has an impact on food production. In addition, people are at a higher risk of disease and injury due to extreme weather conditions.
  • Plants: Plant life migrate higher or further inland as the weather warms and sea levels rise. This may cause problems for the local animal population.
  • Wildlife: Animal behaviour changes as the environment changes. Many animals are harmed by a loss of food supplies and the introduction of new predators who were previously unable to enter their areas. As a result, animals are pushed into a situation where they must move or risk extinction.
  • Sea Levels Rise as Polar Ice Caps Melt: As the polar ice caps melt, sea levels rise. This might result in the displacement of millions of people around the world, as well as the destruction of numerous ecosystems and natural landmarks.
  • Ocean Acidification: As the seas collect carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, they grow more acidic, posing a threat to coral and marine life.

Solution to slow down climate change:

  • Electing people at all levels of government who are committed to passing climate-friendly legislation and policies.
  • Reducing the use of single-use, throwaway plastic items such as bags, bottles, and tableware, as the production of these low-cost items emits significant amounts of greenhouse gases.
  • When not in use, turn off lights and electrical equipment.
  • Because agricultural meat production is one of the primary contributors of greenhouse gas emissions, we should eat less meat in our diets.
  • Taking shorter showers and just using water when absolutely essential, as needless water heating increases energy use.

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