Rising Temperatures in Europe

Nov 10, 2022 - 08:33 Updated: Nov 13, 2022 - 08:33

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Julie Lübken

Europe and Human Rights Researcher

Global Human Rights Defense

On November 8th 2022, the Copernicus Climate Change Service (Cs3) announced that Europe had experienced record-high temperatures in October. A wave of heat has been hitting the continent throughout the month, with average temperatures two degrees above the 1991-2020 reference period.

The month of October has been warm for the northern hemisphere as a whole. Temperature records were broken in Austria, Switzerland and France as well as large parts of Spain and Italy. This trend shows no signs of change as the beginning of November has been equally as unseasonably warm. In Doblice, Slovenia, temperatures as high as 26°C degrees were recorded on Monday the 7th. Overall, temperatures for the month of November are predicted to be six to eight degrees above the seasonal average.

The report has been released at a crucial time for the global fight against climate change. World leaders are meeting throughout the week in Sharm el-Sheikh to discuss climate mitigation efforts and improving resilience. Media sources such as Deutsche Welle express hope that the recent report will encourage leaders to ensure that emissions reductions are met, in order to stabilize temperatures around the 1.5 degree warming target that was set by the Paris Agreement in 2015.

Climate change’s effects are being starkly observed on the European continent. This affects the ability to grow crops, ensure environmental stability and increases the chances of natural disasters such as storms and floods. COP27 is an opportunity, perhaps one of the last, to have meaningful international, multilateral action on climate change.

Sources and Further Reading:

Fielder, T. (2022, November 8). Europe saw warmest October on record. POLITICO. Retrieved on November 9 2022 from https://www.politico.eu/article/europe-saw-warmest-october-on-record/.