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The Star
4 days ago
- Climate
- The Star
Roundup: Heatwaves, drought grip Europe, fueling calls for global action
BUCHAREST, July 2 (Xinhua) -- Extreme heat and worsening drought conditions are gripping large parts of Europe, fueling wildfires and prompting urgent weather alerts across multiple countries. Scientists and international agencies warn that this crisis is part of a broader "new era of drought," driven by climate change and posing escalating threats to food security, ecosystems, and national economies. SCORCHING HEAT GRIPS EUROPE Germany is experiencing what may be its hottest day of the year on Wednesday, with temperatures forecast to reach 40 degrees Celsius, according to the German Weather Service, which has issued extreme heat warnings across much of the country and highlighted a rising risk of wildfires, especially in the southeast. Similar conditions are unfolding across Central Europe. In the Czech Republic, the national meteorological institute warned of "very high temperatures" and increased fire danger, with some regions expected to reach 37 degrees Celsius. Prague's emergency services have already responded to multiple heat-related incidents, and a fire ban remains in effect. Slovakia's meteorological authority issued its highest-level red alert for 10 districts on Thursday, forecasting highs up to 38 degrees Celsius as warm air masses from the west intensify the heat. Neighboring Croatia and Romania are also on alert, with peak temperatures expected to reach 39 degrees Celsius and 37 degrees Celsius, respectively. In the Netherlands, the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute confirmed the country's first official heatwave in three years. De Bilt, the national reference station, recorded five consecutive days above 30 degrees Celsius, prompting a code orange alert in the southeastern provinces. Southern Europe is faring no better. Spain continues to endure a record-breaking heatwave, with June 2025 confirmed as the country's hottest month on record. The Spanish meteorological agency AEMET reported an average monthly temperature of 23.6 degrees Celsius, hotter than typical July and August averages. Tragically, two farmers died on Tuesday in a wildfire that scorched 5,000 hectares in La Segarra, northeast Spain. In Slovenia, the Environment Agency (ARSO) noted that June 2025 was not only the hottest but also the driest month since records began, with rainfall just 24 percent of the monthly average. Heatwaves continue in Croatia, where the Croatian Meteorological and Hydrological Service (DHMZ) forecast maximum temperatures of 37 degrees Celsius on Wednesday and 39 degrees Celsius on Thursday. Bosnia and Herzegovina issued an orange weather warning for July 3 and July 4, with temperatures expected to reach between 35 and 40 degrees Celsius. Meteorologist Bakir Krajinovic from the Federal Hydrometeorological Institute said that June 2025 was unprecedented in the country's measurement history, with zero rainfall recorded at meteorological stations in cities such as Tuzla and Mostar. DROUGHT SPREADING, TAKING TOLL ON ECONOMY These escalating conditions in Europe are part of a global pattern. A new report released Wednesday, Drought Hotspots Around the World 2023-2025, presents a stark picture. Jointly prepared by the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the U.S. National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC), the report warns that drought has become one of the most widespread and damaging crises of our time. "Drought was once primarily associated with rainfall and agriculture," said Daniel Tsegai, program officer at UNCCD. "Today, it is a multi-sectoral, systemic shock. No sector, no part of the economy, and no country is immune to its impacts." The report notes that the frequency of global droughts increased by 30 percent between 2000 and 2019. Driven by climate change and rising demands for land and water, droughts now threaten food supplies, water availability, biodiversity, energy systems, and public health, all critical pillars of society. Mark Svoboda, co-author and founding director of NDMC, described the situation as "a slow-moving global catastrophe, the worst I've ever seen." The economic toll is mounting rapidly. NDMC research cites an OECD estimate that the financial cost of drought today is at least double what it was in 2000, with further increases of up to 110 percent projected by 2035. "Ripple effects can turn regional droughts into global economic shocks," said co-author Cody Knutson. "No country is immune when critical water-dependent systems start to collapse." The report warns that drought is already costing some countries up to 10 percent of their GDP annually, and may soon disrupt energy grids, food supply chains, and entire ecosystems. ACTION, GLOBAL COOPERATION IN URGENT NEED The UNCCD urges countries to act immediately by investing in early warning systems, drought monitoring, and nature-based solutions such as watershed restoration. Building resilient infrastructure, including off-grid energy and alternative water technologies, is also crucial. Tsegai emphasized that combating drought requires shifting from reactive crisis management to proactive, long-term planning. Addressing these interconnected threats demands coordinated action across sectors and governance levels, involving ministries, local communities, and national governments alike. Although over 80 countries have developed national drought plans, the UNCCD warns that implementation remains a major gap. Without stronger execution and cooperation, experts caution the world could face increasingly severe and widespread drought-related crises.
Euronews
11-06-2025
- Climate
- Euronews
Climate change made May's Arctic heatwave 3C hotter, scientists say
'People often think of countries like India, Italy and the US when we talk about climate change and heatwaves,' says Dr Sarah Kew, researcher at the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute. But, as a new study from the World Weather Attribution (WWA) group shows, 'even cold climate countries are experiencing unprecedented temperatures.' A record-breaking heatwave in Iceland and Greenland last month was made around 3°C hotter due to human-caused climate change, the group of researchers has found. On 15 May, the Egilsstaðir Airport station in Iceland recorded 26.6°C, a new national record for the month. Just days later, on 19 May, the Ittoqqortoormiit station in eastern Greenland reported 14.3°C, well above the monthly average of daily maximum temperatures of 0.8°C. 'To some, an increase of 3°C might not sound like much, but it contributed to a massive loss of ice in Greenland,' adds Dr Kew, one of 18 global researchers behind the new WWA study. The climate change-driven heat from 15-21 May corresponded with around 17 times higher than average Greenland ice sheetmelting, according to preliminary analysis from the National Snow and Ice Data Center in the US. 'In the Arctic, local populations have built communities on weather conditions that have been stable for centuries,' says Maja Vahlberg, Technical Advisor at Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre. 'However, heatwaves like these signal emerging risks in Greenland and Iceland that are warming much faster than other regions.' The Arctic has warmed at a rate more than double the global average. This phenomenon, known as arctic amplification, is largely driven by melting sea ice: as the ice vanishes, it is replaced by an expanding area of dark ocean water that absorbs sunlight instead of reflecting it. 'Inuit communities face growing threats to traditional ways of life, while people in Iceland with existing health conditions are increasingly vulnerable to rising heat,' adds Vahlberg. Although Iceland experiences very low rates of heat-related deaths compared to countries in southern Europe, the heatwave may have impacted people with underlying health conditions before they had time to acclimatise. Warnings of sunburn and softened roads in Iceland highlight how cold-climate countries are beginning to experience new climate risks that can catch people off guard, the researchers say. Sea ice loss is also impacting Inuit Indigenous communities, who make up 90 per cent of the population in Greenland. Reliable sea ice is vital for travel, but thinning ice is creating unstable conditions that cut off access to traditional hunting grounds. The loss of sea ice has also seen a rapid decline in the number of sled dogs in Greenland, which have been used by Inuit groups for thousands of years. An Arctic heatwave might still seem like an anomaly, but such events are becoming increasingly common. 'In recent years, my colleagues and I in the Climate Group at the Icelandic Meteorological Office have noticed unusual weather extremes, such as rainfall events that far exceed in rainfall duration and amount, anything expected based on prior data,' says Dr Halldór Björnsson, group leader at the Icelandic Met Office. 'In short the old statistics do not apply.' May's heatwave broke records even in weather stations going back more than a century - including in Stykkisholmur, for example, where there is reliable data for more than 174 years. Dr Björnsson says the event was the largest May heat they've ever seen, with 94 per cent of weather stations setting new temperature records. 'What we are witnessing is not just an isolated event, but a change in weather statistics,' she says. If greenhouse gas emissions continue on their predicted course, and warming reaches 2.6°C by 2100, heatwaves are set to become a further 2°C more intense in Iceland. For Greenland, the scientists analysed data from a weather station in the eastern part of the country. They found the hottest single day in May was about 3.9°C warmer than it would have been in the preindustrial climate. While this analysis did not include climate models, the scientists say it's likely that almost all of the increase was due to climate change. 'What happens in the Arctic doesn't stay in the Arctic,' warns Dr Friederike Otto, Associate Professor in Climate Science at the Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London. 'The unusual heat would have accelerated ice melt and contributed to sea level rise, which is threatening the survival of communities on small islands, like Vanuatu, Kiribati and Tuvalu, as well as Indigenous peoples such as the Inuit.' Greenland loses an average of 43 billion tonnes of ice per year, and a growing body of evidence suggests that continued warming could push the country past a tipping point where the melting of the ice sheet becomes irreversible. A recent study has warned that even 1.5°C of warming could trigger the loss of ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica, potentially causing several metres of sea level rise over the coming centuries, which would threaten the existence of low-lying islands around the world. Another potential tipping point could have concerning consequences for Europe. The melting of the Greenland ice sheet is known to slow down the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), a vast ocean current that could weaken or collapse with further ice melt, potentially disrupting global climate patterns, causing severe weather changes worldwide and plunging Europe into a deep freeze. 'We know exactly what is causing the warming and the melting - the burning of oil, gas and coal. The good news is we can stop extreme heat from getting worse and worse, which means shifting away from fossil fuels,' adds Dr Otto. 'That does not require magic. We have the know-how and technology needed, but it does require recognising that human rights are for all, not just the rich and powerful.' French President Emmanuel Macron kicked off the United Nations Oceans Conference (UNOC) in Nice yesterday with a speech calling on world leaders to unite for ocean protection. But there was one notable absence from the address, according to campaigners: fossil fuels. The global expansion of offshore and coastal oil and gas development poses profound threats to marine ecosystems, as underscored by a new report from Earth Insight, a data analytics company that tracks fossil fuel and mining activities around the world. 'This glaring omission demonstrates that the impacts of fossil fuel extraction on marine biodiversity and coastal communities continue to be overlooked,' says Tyson Miller, Executive Director at Earth Insight. 'France has an opportunity to seize this historic moment and show leadership once again, as it did in 2015 with the Paris Agreement, by calling on countries to end the expansion of offshore and coastal fossil fuel activities.' A major focus of this third UNOC is the ratification of a High Seas Treaty, which will allow nations to establish marine protected areas in international waters for the first time. Even at the UN climate summit last year in Baku (COP29), fossil fuels were scarcely addressed in key documents, despite their usage being the primary cause of the climate crisis. Burning fossil fuels is placing a huge burden on oceans, which absorb the excess heat, leading to a slew of dangerous consequences, from killing coral reefs to fuelling more hurricanes. The new report from Earth Insight exposes the vast physical presence of fossil fuel infrastructure in oceans and the destruction and pollution caused by its encroachment. Much of this expansion is taking place in 'frontier regions' - underexplored areas with significant potential for oil, gas and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) development. Looking at 11 case studies from around the world, the analysts find that oil and gas blocks cover over 2.7 million km2 in these frontier regions - an area about the size of Argentina. Moreover, 100,000 km2 of these blocks overlap with protected areas, leaving 19 per cent of coastal and Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) at risk across the frontier regions. Coral reefs, seagrass meadows and mangroves are some of the vital ecosystems being threatened by fossil fuel companies. Approximately 63 per cent of seagrass meadows in the frontier case studies - from Barbados to Senegal - are overlapped by oil and gas blocks, the study warns. The researchers propose a range of solutions to tackle the environmental and social harm caused by fossil fuel extraction, starting with stopping expansion in environmentally sensitive regions and removing unassigned oil and gas blocks. International treaties - like the Fossil Fuel Non Proliferation Treaty - should be strengthened to prohibit new coastal and offshore oil and gas expansion, they say. This is where international conferences like UNOC could be used to galvanise action.
Euronews
17-04-2025
- Climate
- Euronews
On thin ice: Why this legendary Dutch skating race may never happen again
ADVERTISEMENT From the Alaskan Iditarod to the Winter Olympics, climate change has put many winter sporting traditions at risk. While some have managed to adapt to rising temperatures and unpredictable snowfall, a time-honoured Dutch tradition may be gliding toward extinction. The Elfstedentocht – or 'Eleven Cities Tour' – is a legendary 200-kilometre ice-skating race and leisure tour that winds through naturally frozen canals in the northern Friesland region of the Netherlands. But 2025 will mark 28 years since the last event was held. According to new climate research, the odds of it happening again are shrinking fast. A once-every-four-years tradition may now only happen once a generation The Elfstedentocht requires perfect conditions to take place. It must be cold enough, for long enough, for the ice to become 15 centimetres thick along the entire course so that it can accommodate the pressure of the 15,000 amateur skaters who join the event. For that thick, stable ice to form, there must be at least 15 consecutive days of sub-4.2 °C weather – combined with dry conditions. In the 20th century, an Elfstedentocht could be expected every four to five years. According to a new study published in Climate Change, the Elfstedentocht might now take place just once every 32 years. Related Pumped up pollen: How climate change could be making your seasonal allergies worse Deadly floods, storms and heatwaves: Europe suffered the 'serious impacts' of climate change in 2024 Hans Visser and Arthur Petersen, two researchers who worked with the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) on this study, warn that a warming planet wreaking havoc on weather patterns has made the ideal conditions increasingly elusive. A cultural icon on thin ice Since its official founding in 1909, the Elfstedentocht has only been held 15 times, with the most recent in 1997. In the decades since, there have been several 'close calls,' including a near-run in 2012, but the canals were never quite frozen enough. 'We still have the occasional outlier. Like in 2012, when it almost came to an Elfstedentocht,' Hylke de Vries of the KNMI told de Volkskrant. 'But then the winter in the weeks before hadn't been very cold, and the water was still relatively warm. Then it takes a few extra days for everything to freeze over. Snowfall can also lead to ice, but the ice doesn't get thicker quickly.' Other models using different forecasting techniques are slightly more optimistic about the Elfstedentocht. The KNMI estimates that optimal conditions might occur once every 14 years. Related Electric cars, leaky homes, and food: How does France plan to get emissions cuts back on track? Lego says new factory in Vietnam will make toys without without adding emissions to the atmosphere But researchers agree on one thing: without significant cuts to greenhouse gas emissions, the Elfstedentocht may become a relic of the past. If emissions are drastically reduced, the chance of an Elfstedentocht will remain approximately the same as now in the decades to come. If emissions increase, there may not be another Elfstedentocht after the end of this century, according to the study. 'The chances of [proper conditions] decrease with global warming, no matter how you calculate that chance,' said de Vries. Winter sports everywhere are under threat The Netherlands is far from alone with the wintry disruptions it faces. Across Europe and beyond, winter sports have become increasingly vulnerable to climate change. ADVERTISEMENT A 2024 report by the World Meteorological Organization found that only 10 countries will have a climate-reliable outlook for snow sport events by 2040. Activists have also drawn attention to how ski resorts and sporting events are contributing to the problem, not just suffering from it. Last year, a group calculated that Audi's sponsorship of the Ski World Cup would contribute 103,000-144,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions to highlight environmental contradictions. Meanwhile, alpine regions are investing heavily in artificial snow – a money-, energy- and water-intensive process – and other infrastructure improvements to maintain ski seasons. ADVERTISEMENT But for events like the Elfstedentocht, there's no artificial fix. It's natural ice or nothing.
The Independent
10-02-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Year above 1.5C suggests world is reaching long term warming threshold
A year with temperatures more than 1.5C above pre-industrial levels mean it is likely the world is reaching the key long-term warming threshold, studies suggest. Under the global Paris climate treaty secured in 2015, countries agreed to limit global warming to 'well below' 2C and to pursue efforts to curb temperature rises to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels to avoid the worst impacts of extreme storms, floods, heatwaves, rising seas and the collapse of natural systems. But global datasets of temperatures have found a record hot 2024 saw temperatures exceed 1.5C over the year for the first time. Scientists caution that one year above 1.5C over pre-industrial levels does not mean the long-term threshold, measured over multiple decades, has been breached. But two studies published in the journal Nature Climate Change have found it is likely the year at 1.5C means the world is in the 20-year period where the long term threshold will be exceeded – or even that we have already crossed it. Scientists said the findings showed how urgently the world needed to act to cut the greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels, industrial processes and cutting down forests that are driving climate change. In his study, Alex Cannon, from the Climate Research Division of Environment and Climate Change Canada, said that a few months or couple of years warmer than 1.5C does not 'automatically mean the goal has been exceeded'. But analysis of climate model projections show that 12 consecutive months above 1.5C indicates the Paris Agreement threshold is likely to have already been crossed, he said. While an El Nino weather pattern in the tropical Pacific, which pushes up global temperatures, contributed to 2024's record heat, the analysis shows that 1.5C for 12 consecutive months – regardless of El Nino conditions – usually occurs after the long-term threshold has been reached in simulations, he said. The rate we have reached these levels is terrifying and shows, yet again, how urgently we need to act Vikki Thompson, Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute He added that whether the findings signalled an earlier than expected crossing of the threshold in the real world depended on whether unaccounted-for factors, which are not considered in archived climate model simulations, played a large role in recent warming. In a second paper, scientists from Germany looked at real-world observations of already-reached warming levels and climate models, and showed that the first single year exceeding each threshold have consistently fallen with the first 20 year period which averaged the same level of warming. They found that 'unless ambitious emissions cuts are implemented', the world's first year at 1.5C warming is 'virtually certain' to fall within the 20-year period that reaches the 1.5C warming level. They said it was very unlikely for the temperature of a single year to largely exceed the long term average, and 2024's record heat signals that 'most probably' Earth has already entered a 20-year period at 1.5C warming, they said. Entering into the 20-year period in which temperatures averaged 1.5C did not mean that the world was already at long term warming of that level as that would fall in the mid point of the era, 10 years later, they added. And they said that by rapidly slowing down the warming rate, stringent near-term action to curb climate change has the potential to substantially reduce risks of exceeding 1.5C of warming soon after the first year of heat at that level has occurred. It does highlight that the headroom to stay below 1.5C is now wafer thin Professor Stephen Belcher, Met Office And rapid, urgent emissions action is needed to limit peak warming, which is also required to hold climate change below 2C if the 1.5 target is missed. 'A year above 1.5C is not the time for despair, but a call to action,' they said. Responding to the findings, Dr Alan Kennedy-Asser, senior research associate at the University of Bristol Cabot Institute for the Environment, described them as 'sadly unsurprising' which suggested 'we may be already living in the 1.5C world the Paris Agreement referred to'. 'However, even though the planet may be in a period that is at or exceeds 1.5C, there is great value in taking rapid action to slow further warming, as the rate of change matters and every tenth of a degree matters,' he said. Dr Vikki Thompson, scientist at the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, said: 'These studies use data from both observational sources and multiple climate models to show we should now expect to exceed the Paris Agreement within the next 20 years, much sooner than climate projections had suggested. 'The rate we have reached these levels is terrifying and shows, yet again, how urgently we need to act. 'Without adaptation and mitigation we will continue to feel the impacts of the accelerating warming with more and more extreme weather events,' she said. Professor Stephen Belcher, Met Office chief scientist, said a single year exceeding 1.5C 'does not break the guardrail of the Paris Agreement'. 'However, it does highlight that the headroom to stay below 1.5C is now wafer thin,' he said, warning that a recent paper by Met Office scientists calculated current global warming at 1.3C and its forecast for carbon dioxide for the coming year is now inconsistent with pathways keeping to 1.5C. 'This suggests that only rapid and strong measures to cut greenhouse gas emissions will keep us from passing the first line of defence within the Paris Agreement,' he said.
