Climate, Europe is warming twice as fast as the rest of the world
Environment — di Andrea Barolini
The State of Climate in Europe report paints a troubling picture: on the Old Continent, the crisis is more severe than anywhere else in the world.
Climate, Europe is warming twice as fast as the rest of the world
The State of Climate in Europe report paints a troubling picture: on the Old Continent, the crisis is more severe than anywhere else in the world.
Europe is confirmed as a "hot spot" of the climate crisis. That is to say, one of the macro-regions where global warming is manifesting most violently: the rise in temperature across the continent is indeed twice as fast as the global average. This is explained in the latest edition of the State of Climate in Europe report, produced by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (Ecmwf), and involving the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the European Copernicus service.
Extreme heat in Europe: in 2025, temperatures above 30 degrees even within the Arctic Circle
The Old Continent, the document explains, in 2025 "was exposed to growing impacts – from record heatwaves on sea and land surfaces, to devastating wildfires, through to the continued loss of biodiversity – causing consequences for all societies and ecosystems". This finding stems from the analyses of around one hundred scientists who contributed to drafting the report, which provides a comprehensive snapshot of the climate situation.
🌍🔥 Europe is heating up — but not evenly.
This map from The European State of the Climate 2025 report shows how the rate of warming varies across the continent, with eastern and northern Europe warming faster than many other regions over the past three decades.
This map from The European State of the Climate 2025 report shows how the rate of warming varies across the continent, with eastern and northern Europe warming faster than many other regions over the past three decades.
"Europe – commented Florian Pappenberger, Director General of Ecmwf – is warming faster and the consequences are already severe. Almost the entire region recorded above-average annual temperatures. Norway, Sweden and Finland experienced their worst heatwaves on record, with twenty-one consecutive days and temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius even within the Arctic Circle".
Greenland loses 139 billion tonnes of ice
According to the document, at least 95 per cent of European territory recorded above-average annual temperatures over the course of 2025. As a result, glaciers across all regions suffered a net loss in mass, with Iceland in particular recording the second largest decline since data has been regularly monitored. Meanwhile, the Greenland ice sheet lost as much as 139 billion tonnes of ice.
At the same time, snow cover on mountain ranges was 31 per cent below average.
One million hectares of forest go up in smoke due to mega-fires
Marine heatwaves were also extremely widespread, affecting 86 per cent of the European ocean region. In 36 per cent of cases, these were "severe" or "extreme" events: never had such a proportion been recorded before.
Europe is heating twice as fast as the global average.
In 2025, 95% of the continent saw above-average temperatures, alongside record Arctic heat and wildfires burning over one million hectares.
Here are 5 facts ⤵️
In 2025, 95% of the continent saw above-average temperatures, alongside record Arctic heat and wildfires burning over one million hectares.
Here are 5 facts ⤵️
All indicators are in the red, then. But the consequences of a changing climate are not confined to the most remote regions. Wildfires devoured more than one million hectares of forest last year: the highest figure ever recorded. Meanwhile, heat and scarce rainfall meant that the volume of water in rivers was below average for eleven months out of twelve across all of Europe. There was no shortage of extreme weather events either, with storms and floods affecting thousands of people across the continent.
Renewables surge, "but immediate, science-based climate action is needed"
Some encouraging news comes, at least, from renewable energy, which provided almost half (46.4 per cent) of Europe's electricity in 2025. Solar in particular reached a record share of 12.5 per cent, continuing its now well-established growth. In contrast, biodiversity loss appears unstoppable: global warming itself, the report indicates, is one of the main drivers of the phenomenon.
Europe is warming >2x as fast as the global average, reducing snow & ice cover. High air temperatures, drought, heatwaves & record ocean temperatures affect regions from the Arctic to the Mediterranean.
European State of Climate #ESOTC2025 out now. ➡️bit.ly/ESOTC2025pr
European State of Climate #ESOTC2025 out now. ➡️bit.ly/ESOTC2025pr
"The pace of climate change demands urgent action – stressed Samantha Burgess, head of climate strategies at Ecmwf -. With rising temperatures, the spread of wildfires and drought, the evidence is unequivocal: the climate crisis is not a future threat. It is our current reality. To address the loss of biodiversity we must adapt as quickly as possible, through the transition to clean energy and by grounding policy decisions in scientific data."