Why is Europe warming the fastest on the planet?

Theo CNNtemperature records continue to be broken across Europe while parts of the continent experience extreme heat earlier than usual. Europe is facing an extremely strong heat dome, a high-pressure system like a pot lid, trapping hot air and pushing it down to the ground, which can last for days, even weeks. Scientists confirm that climate change is increasing such extreme heat waves and that Europe is the fastest-warming continent on the planet due to many reasons.

Currently, the Earth is about 1.4 degrees Celsius warmer than in the pre-industrial period (1850-1900). Meanwhile, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Agency, Europe is about 2.4 degrees warmer than in pre-industrial times. Ben Clarke, a researcher in extreme weather and climate change at Imperial College London, UK, said that most of the rising temperatures are due to the greenhouse effect from fossil fuel emissions associated with human activities.

Theo AFPchanges in atmospheric circulation cause heat waves to become more frequent and intense in the summer in Europe. Carlo Buontempo, director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, said high-pressure systems are becoming increasingly common on the continent. Scientists are still debating whether the increase in frequency of high pressure systems is due to climate change or just a “statistical fluctuation”.

The high pressure system that brings heat to Europe could stand still and prevent other weather systems from moving into the region. It’s a stable air mass that brings warm air down to the ground and takes away moisture, so the air is not only warm but also dry, explains Mary Bourke, professor of geography at Trinity College Dublin.

Geographic factors also contribute to warming Europe. Europe is connected to the Arctic, which is warming much faster than the rest of the planet. The Arctic is 3.2 degrees Celsius warmer than pre-industrial times. Temperature increases in this region are partly due to a process called the albedo feedback effect. Snow and ice reflect most of the Sun’s heat back into space, but when they melt, they expose darker heat-absorbing surfaces such as land and oceans, leading to greater heat absorption, in turn warming water and melting more ice.

Stricter air quality regulations have reduced aerosol emissions in Europe since the 1980s, but the side effect has been to promote warming because aerosols contain tiny solid or liquid particles dispersed in the air, which have a cooling effect by reflecting sunlight.

The rate of temperature increase is not uniform across Europe. Eastern and southeastern Europe, and parts of central Europe including the Alps, have warmed by 0.5 to 1 degree Celsius per decade over the past 30 years. Western and southwestern Europe, and countries near the North Pole such as Finland, Norway, and Sweden, are warming by 0.2-0.5 degrees Celsius per decade. In particular, Svalbard, Norway’s Arctic archipelago, warms by 1.5-2 degrees Celsius per decade.

Theo CNNmore than 62,000 people will die from heat-related causes in Europe in 2024, the hottest year on the planet. Super El Nino, a natural climate pattern that causes global temperatures to be warmer than normal, could make 2026 and 2027 even hotter.