Heatwaves, floods, droughts and wildfires tore through Europe in 2023, a year that either tied for the continent’s warmest on record or came in a close second, depending on the dataset used.
These events affected millions of people, killing dozens and causing billions of dollars in damages.
Last year’s natural disasters were another stark reminder of how a hotter planet is harming Europe, the world’s fastest warming continent, according to an annual climate report from the World Meteorological Organization released Monday.
Published jointly this year with the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, the European State of the Climate report warns that European nations must do more to address the rapidly rising human health impacts posed by climate change.
