Europe named ‘fastest-warming continent’ in latest climate change report
Europe has been identified as the fastest-warming continent, with nearly all regions experiencing above-average temperatures in 2025, according to a report by the World Meteorological Organization and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. The year saw severe climate impacts including widespread wildfires, marine heatwaves, and significant losses in snow cover and glaciers. Experts emphasize that climate change is already a present reality, requiring urgent action.
- ▪In 2025, nearly all of Europe experienced above-average annual temperatures, including record-high marine temperatures and extensive wildfires.
- ▪Wildfires across Europe burned more than 1 million hectares of land, roughly the size of Cyprus, fueled by hot and dry conditions.
- ▪About 70 percent of European rivers recorded below-average annual water flows in 2025, indicating widespread drought conditions.
- ▪A 21-day heatwave in sub-Arctic Norway, Sweden, and Finland marked the worst on record, with temperatures exceeding 30°C near the Arctic Circle.
- ▪Europe's snow cover in March 2025 fell by nearly 30 percent, equivalent to losing an area larger than France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and Austria combined.
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News|Climate CrisisEurope named ‘fastest-warming continent’ in latest climate change reportFrom heatwaves to wildfires and shrinking ice cover, Europe is facing a ‘severe’ impact from climate change, UN body says.ListenListen (2 mins)SaveClick here to share on social mediashare-nodesSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogleAdd Al Jazeera on GoogleinfoA woman poses beside a Swiss national flag near Mount Piz Palue and the Pers Glacier, close to the Alpine resort of Pontresina, Switzerland in 2022 [Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters]By Al Jazeera StaffPublished On 29 Apr 202629 Apr 2026Nearly all of Europe experienced above-average annual temperatures in 2025, a year that included record-high marine temperatures and wildfires from the Arctic to the Mediterranean, according to the World Meteorological…
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