Khaberni - Scientists from the European Union and the World Meteorological Organization reported on Wednesday that most parts of Europe experienced higher than average temperatures in 2025, a year that broke records in forest fires, sea temperatures, and heatwaves as climate change worsened.
The World Meteorological Organization and the EU Copernicus Climate Change Service reported in their annual European climate report that at least 95% of the continent experienced higher than average temperatures, while forest fires consumed more than one million hectares of land, an area larger than Cyprus and the largest annual total recorded.
The findings highlight the increasingly severe consequences of climate change in Europe, at a time when some governments are seeking to mitigate emissions reduction policies due to economic concerns. The European Union has pledged to stick to its environmental goals, but it eased some car and company climate rules last year following pressures from the sector to aid struggling businesses.
Europe is the fastest warming continent in the world. The World Meteorological Organization and Copernicus reported that more than half of Europe experienced drought conditions in May 2025, making the year overall one of the three driest years in terms of soil moisture since 1992, imposing more severe conditions on farmers due to the warmer climate.
Sea surface temperatures in Europe generally reached their highest annual level, with 86 percent of the region suffering from strong marine heatwaves.
Samantha Burgess, official at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, said the report shows that "climate change is not a future threat, but our current reality."
She added, "The pace of climate change requires more urgent action."
The World Meteorological Organization and Copernicus expressed particular concern about changes in the coldest parts of Europe, where snow and ice cover are fundamental in helping to slow down climate change by reflecting sunlight back into space. This phenomenon, known as the "albedo effect," diminishes if warmer temperatures cause more melting, and the ice loss also contributes to rising sea levels.
The report stated that Norway, Sweden, and Finland, located in the sub-Arctic region, experienced the strongest heatwave in their history in July last year, lasting three consecutive weeks, with temperatures inside the Arctic Circle exceeding 30 degrees Celsius. Iceland recorded the second-largest ice loss in 2025 since records began.
