2024 was the warmest year in Europe
A UN climate report has found Europe is now the fastest-warming continent in the world, with record breaking temperatures last year.
The western side of the continent saw one of the ten wettest years recorded since 1950, while the whole area experienced the most widespread flooding since 2013.
Storms and flooding affected an estimated 413,000 people, with at least 335 lives lost, according to the research published by UN World Meteorological Organisation and the Copernicus Climate Change Service.
The number of days with 'strong', 'very strong' and 'extreme heat stress' were all the second highest on record.
Severe weather events caused over €18 billion in damages, with flooding making up 85% of that.
The report also suggest a global warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius could result in 30,000 annual deaths in Europe because of extreme heat.
Environmental journalist John Gibbons says the data is cause for serious concern:
"We're seeing more and more intense precipitation events in parts of Europe. At the same time, we're also seeing extended droughts. For example March 2025 into April 2025 was a huge extended drought over much of Europe, including, in fact, Ireland."
