Heatwaves led to around 16,000 deaths on the continent last year. “Unfortunately, extreme heat stress will become more frequent and intense across the region,” warned Dr Carlo Buontempo, director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service.
A soldier fainted in the hot sun before a ceremony at Windsor Castle (UK) on June 19. Photo: REUTERS
The reason Europe is warming faster than other continents is because a large part of the continent lies in the subarctic and arctic regions - the fastest warming regions on Earth - and is subject to changes in climate feedbacks, which in turn amplify climate impacts.
However, there is still a “sign 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 warned that Himalayan glaciers will lose 30%-50% of their ice volume by 2100 if temperatures rise 1.5-2 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial times.
At 3 degrees Celsius, glaciers in the Eastern Himalayas – which includes Nepal and Bhutan – would lose up to 75% of their ice.
At 4 degrees Celsius, the figure is 80%. Glacier loss was 65% faster in the 2010s than in the 2000s. This would cause dangerous flooding and water shortages for 240 million people living in mountainous areas, contributing to 12 basins in the region – including the Ganges, Indus and Mekong – peaking by mid-century.
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