EU must prepare for 'catastrophic' climate change risks, agency says - Firstpost
EU must prepare for 'catastrophic' climate change risks, agency says - Firstpost
The EU Environment Agency stated on Monday that as climate change worsens and affects every aspect of European economies and society this century, nations should brace for “catastrophic” dangers, such as floods and lethal heatwaves.
In its first examination of climate-related hazards throughout Europe, the Copenhagen-based agency concluded that policymakers needed to develop new strategies to tackle the issues.
Why it’s important
According to the EEA, Europe is warming up twice as quickly as the rest of the globe. Global temperatures have already risen by more than 1C from pre-industrial levels, even if nations are able to moderate the warming.
According to the EEA, the extent of the harm will partly rely on how quickly authorities take action to prepare society. Some examples of these actions include expanding insurance coverage, modernising infrastructure, and passing legislation to shield outdoor workers from dangerous temperatures.
Without more urgent action, the EEA said most of the 36 climate risks facing Europe could hit “critical or catastrophic levels” this century. They include risks to health, crop production and infrastructure.
By the numbers
In a pessimistic scenario, by the end of the century, the EEA said: “Hundreds of thousands of people would die from heatwaves, and economic losses from coastal floods alone could exceed 1 trillion euros per year.”
That would far exceed the 650 billion euros lost to weather and climate-related extremes across the bloc from 1980 to 2022.
Key quotes
Kate Levick, associate director at climate think-tank E3G, urged governments to respond to the EEA’s findings.
“There’s a particular role for finance ministers to essentially look at what happens to balance sheets, in terms of assets and liabilities at national level, as a result of climate risk,” Levick said.
What’s next
The European Commission will publish its response to the report on Tuesday.
Related Knowledge Center: Climate science
What began as a theory in the 1890s — that industrial emissions of carbon dioxide could increase global temperatures — had progressed to a scientific fact a century later. Scientists across a range of disciplines are studying the impact of the still-growing concentration of carbon dioxide and other so-called “greenhouse gases” in the atmosphere as they call for industrial and governmental policies to slow, then halt, the warming of the planet.