The Copernicus Climate Change Service has released its annual European State of the Climate (ESOTC) report, detailing the significant climate events of 2022 in Europe and across the globe. These data-driven insights show rising temperatures and intensifying extreme events, and give an overview of 2022’s climate in a long-term context.

Separately, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has released the State of the Global Climate report 2022. According to the report, droughts, floods and heatwaves affected communities on every continent and cost many billions of dollars. Antarctic sea ice fell to its lowest extent on record and the melting of some European glaciers was, literally, off the charts.

ESOTC Key findings for Europe:

• Europe experienced its second warmest year ever recorded
• Europe saw its hottest summer on record
• Much of Europe suffered intense and prolonged heatwaves
• Southern Europe experienced the highest number of days with ’very strong heat stress’ on record
• Low rainfall and high temperatures led to widespread drought
• Carbon emissions from summer wildfires were the highest in 15 years, with some countries seeing the highest emissions in 20 years
• The European Alps saw a record loss of ice from glaciers
• There was a record number of sunshine hours for Europe

Globally, the last eight years have been the warmest on record. In 2022, the global annual average concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) reached their highest levels ever measured by satellite. Europe experienced its hottest summer on record, compounded by several extreme events including intense heatwaves, drought conditions and extensive wildfires, according to data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S). Temperatures across Europe are rising at twice the global average rate; faster than any other continent.

European temperatures – records broken and impacts on health

Increasing temperature is an important climate indicator, and highlights Europe’s changing climate. The data show that the average for Europe for the latest 5-year period was around 2.2°C above the pre-industrial era (1850-1900). 2022 was the second warmest year on record, at 0.9°C above a recent average (using the reference period of 1991-2020). Last summer was the hottest on record for Europe, at 1.4°C above the recent average.

Extremes in heat during the late spring and summer resulted in hazardous conditions for human health. Due to the extreme heatwaves during summer, southern Europe experienced a record number of days with ‘very strong heat stress’. Europe is seeing an upward trend in the number of summer days with ‘strong’ or ‘very strong heat stress’, and in southern Europe the same is seen for ‘extreme heat stress’. There is also a decreasing trend in the number of days with ‘no heat stress’.

Covered in the Guardian