Green Forum • 15 March, 2024 at 8:00 AM
The European Environment Agency (EEA) warned that Europe could face "catastrophic" situations if it does not assess the climate risks it is facing, many of which are already at a critical level.
EEA said that the extreme heat, drought, forest fires, and floods that we have experienced in recent years in Europe will worsen, even in optimistic scenarios regarding global warming, and will affect living conditions across the continent.
The study lists 36 major climate risks for Europe, of which 21 require immediate action and eight require an urgent response.
Among these are primary risks associated with ecosystems, especially marine and coastal ecosystems.
For example, the combined effects of marine heatwaves, ocean acidification, oxygen depletion in seas, and other anthropogenic factors (pollution, fishing, etc.) threaten the functioning of marine ecosystems, the report states.
"The result may be a substantial loss of biodiversity, including mass mortality events," according to the report.
For the EEA, the priority is for European governments and populations to unanimously recognize the risks and agree to do more, faster. "We need to do more and have stronger policies," Ylä-Mononen insisted.
However, the agency acknowledged "significant progress" made "in understanding climate risks (...) and in preparing for them."
For the EEA, the regions most exposed to risks are southern Europe (fires, water scarcity and its effects on agricultural production, the impact of heat on outdoor work and health) and coastal and low-lying areas (floods, erosion, saltwater intrusion).
However, northern Europe is not exempt from risks, the institution emphasized, as demonstrated by the recent floods in Germany or forest fires in Sweden.