2020 was the warmest year on record in Europe, with winter temperatures over 3 degrees higher than average.
That’s according to a new report published today.
It was released ahead of a global summit on climate change, hosted by US President Joe Biden.
The State of the Climate says temperatures in Europe were 0.5 degrees higher in 2020, than the next warmest year.
It shows the continent is far above the temperature limits outlined in the Paris Climate Agreement.
Happy #EarthDay. With our new Climate law, Ireland is now one of the most ambitious countries in the world on climate. As we rebuild our economy after the pandemic, we will do so sustainably
— Leo Varadkar (@LeoVaradkar) April 22, 2021
It comes as the US hosts a global summit on climate change today.
Which Environment Minister Eamon Ryan will attend.
He’s objected to claims that Ireland’s role is insignificant compared with that of China and Brazil:
"We have probably the best resource of that [renewable ]energy supply."
Minister Ryan says Ireland's one of the windiest places on earth.
He thinks rejecting the opportunity to harness that for power, "doesn't make sense."
President Biden speaks at virtual leaders summit on climate: "This moment demands urgency. Good ideas and good intentions aren't good enough. We need to ensure the financing will be there, both public and private, to meet the moment on climate change." https://t.co/wrU7GoNeVG pic.twitter.com/pGpTakPfP4
— CBS News (@CBSNews) April 22, 2021
This morning, President Biden announced plans to half emissions in the US by 2030.
So the White House says it proves the country “is back” as world leaders in climate action.
Meanwhile the Chief Political Strategist for the Paris Agreement is Tom Rivvet-Carnac.
He says political leaders should be excited by the development:
"Nobody's coming along to save us or to do this for us."
"That's a great generational challenge that we should be proud of."
Finally, the 40 countries attending the summit represent 80 percent of global emissions.
