summary of climate change trends in Europe

2. summary
climate change is affecting all regions in Europe
 a wide range of impacts on society and the
environment are already visible
further impacts are expected in future

3. temperature
the last decade (2002–2011) was the warmest on
record in Europe
land temperature was 1.3° C warmer than the preindustrial average
compared to the 1961–1990 average projections show
that Europe could be 2.5–4° C warmer by the close of
the twenty-first century

4. heat waves
heat waves have increased in both frequency and
length
they have caused tens of thousands of deaths over the
last decade
the projected increase in heat waves could increase
the number of extreme weather-related deaths over
the next decades

5. precipitation
precipitation is decreasing in southern regions
precipitation is increasing in northern Europe
climate change is projected to increase river flooding,
particularly in northern Europe

6. rivers
minimum river flows are projected to decrease
significantly in summer in southern Europe
river flow droughts appear to have become more
severe and frequent in southern Europe
belowground flow is declining in many central
European watersheds

7. the Arctic
the Arctic is warming faster than other regions.
record low sea ice was observed in the Arctic in 2007,
2011 and 2012
melting of the Greenland ice sheet has doubled since
the 1990s

8. glaciers
250 billion tonnes of mass has been lost each year
between 2005 and 2009 on the Greenland ice sheet
Glaciers in the Alps have lost two-thirds of their
volume and continue to melt

9. sea level
sea levels are rising, raising the risk of coastal
flooding during storm events
global average sea level has risen by 1.7mm a year in
the 20th century
it is likely that 21st century sea-level rise will be greater
than during the 20th century

10. human health
climate change plays a part in the transmission of
certain diseases
 the tick species Ixodes ricinus is thriving further
north
further warming may make parts of Europe more
suitable for disease-carrying mosquitos and sandflies
the pollen season arrives 10 days earlier than 50 years
ago

11. plants and animals
widespread changes in plant and animal
characteristics are already observed
plants are flowering earlier in the year
freshwater phytoplankton and zooplankton blooms
are also appearing earlier

12. landcapes
animals and plants are moving northward or uphill as
their habitats warm
the migration rate of many species is insufficient to
keep pace with the speed of climate change
they could be pushed towards extinction in the future
mitigation requires the construction of local and
regional biocorridors

13. agriculture
 water available for agriculture in southern Europe is
decreasing
the expansion of warm-season crops will continue to
expand into more northerly latitudes
Yields are projected to fall for some crops due to heat
waves and droughts in central and southern Europe

14. adaptation
adaptation means anticipating the adverse effects of
climate change and taking appropriate action to
prevent or minimize the damage they can cause
adaptation also means taking advantage of
opportunities that may arise

15. task
most adaptation initiatives will be taken at the
regional or local levels
the ability to cope and adapt also differs across
populations, economic sectors and regions within
Europe
working in pairs, students are asked to prepare a
report with actionable recommendations for their
region on one of the themes presented