Europe is warming the fastest on the planet.

Heatwaves led to around 16,000 deaths last year across the continent. Dr. Carlo Buontempo, Director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, warned: "Unfortunately, extreme heat stresses will occur more frequently and more intensely across the region."

A soldier collapses in the scorching heat before a ceremony at Windsor Castle, England, on June 19. (Photo: REUTERS)

The reason Europe is warming faster than other continents is that a large part of the continent lies in the sub-Arctic and Arctic regions – the fastest warming areas on Earth – as well as being subject to climate feedback changes, which amplify the impacts of climate change.

However, there is still "a glimmer of hope" – renewable energy in the EU now provides 22.3% of electricity, surpassing the share from polluting fossil fuels (20%) for the first time last year.

Another international study, led by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in Kathmandu, Nepal, warns that glaciers in the Himalayas will lose 30%-50% of their ice volume by 2100 if temperatures rise 1.5-2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

At a temperature of 3 degrees Celsius, glaciers in the Eastern Himalayas – including areas of Nepal and Bhutan – would lose up to 75% of their ice.

At a 4°C increase, the loss is 80%. Glacial loss accelerated by as much as 65% in the 2010s compared to the 2000s. This will cause dangerous flooding and water shortages for 240 million people living in mountainous regions, contributing to peak water levels in 12 river basins in the area – including the Ganges, Indus, and Mekong – by the middle of this century.

Anh Thu

Source: https://nld.com.vn/thoi-su-quoc-te/chau-au-nong-len-nhanh-nhat-hanh-tinh-20230620215305159.htm