European Environment Agency, 10 March 2024
This policy-oriented report identifies the top 36 “climate risks” facing Europe, warning that many of these have already reached critical levels and could become catastrophic by 2100 without urgent and decisive emissions reductions. Nearly all of these climate risks, from flooding to heatwaves, are driven by the impacts of cryosphere loss under rising emissions. The report highlights that wildfires, extreme heat, and water scarcity pose growing hazards to agricultural production and human health across southern Europe. Flooding, erosion, and saltwater intrusion threaten Europe’s low-lying coastal regions, including many densely populated cities. “Europe faces urgent climate risks that are growing faster than our societal preparedness,” said Leena Ylä-Mononen, Executive Director of the European Environment Agency (EEA), which produced the Report. “To ensure the resilience of our societies, European and national policymakers must act now to reduce climate risks both by rapid emission cuts and by strong adaptation policies and actions.”
Full report: https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/european-climate-risk-assessment
Plain-language briefing: https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/newsroom/news/europe-is-not-prepared-for
By Emily Jacobson, Science Writing Intern; Amy Imdieke, Global Outreach Director; and Pam Pearson, Director of ICCI.
Published Mar. 22, 2024 Updated Mar. 22, 2024 2:01 am
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