We need to accelerate climate action, move away from fossil fuels and produce energy with renewable sources, otherwise we risk arriving outside the deadline: this is the message from the WWF following the reading of the annual Copernicus Report on Climate Change in Europe, published today on Earth Day. Of particular concern are the record number of days with “extreme heat stress” or “severe heat stress” across Europe, and the 30% increase in heat-related mortality.
“The climate crisis is increasingly also a crisis for human, animal and plant health and ecosystems – comments Mariagrazia Midulla, Climate and Energy manager of WWF Italy -. This risk is still little and poorly represented by the media and political decision-makers in public debate and decisions.”
There is also strong concern about the heat accumulated in surface sea waters: for the whole of 2023, the average sea surface temperature in Europe was the highest ever recorded. This heat/energy has a huge impact on marine ecosystems and risks exacerbating extreme events.
Our water reserves are also at risk: although in 2023 it rained more on average in Europe – many times it involved floods and extreme events, some catastrophic – the snow days were fewer than average, particularly in the Alps where There was an exceptional loss of ice (10% of the residual volume during the 2022-23 period) linked to a lower-than-average accumulation of winter snow and strong summer melting due to heat waves.
“Europe has every interest, as well as a duty, to accelerate the energy and ecological transition – underlines Midulla – The only effective way to induce all countries to move to try to contain the climate crisis, towards a of production and consumption of resources and energy, is to set a good example. So much so in such difficult times from an international point of view. We must get away from fossil fuels and we must study how to reconvert oil and gas companies immediately, not in 50 years, also to be able to manage the social impact. It is a challenge for everyone, but especially for Europe. While in Italy we are discussing false solutions, which will only waste our time – nuclear power – the news arrives from California that production from renewables satisfies all electricity demand in an increasingly stable way, even the data from the California Independent System Operator show that supply of geothermal, hydroelectric, solar and wind energy has exceeded demand by between 0.25 and 6 hours per day for more than three-quarters of the days since the beginning of March: and California is decommissioning the nuclear. The transition is already reaching its goals, we must run.”
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