Climate change evident across Europe, says report

In a report, the agency says the past decade in Europe has been the warmest on record. It adds that the cost of damage caused by extreme weather events is rising, and the continent is set to become more vulnerable in the future.
 
The findings have been published ahead of next week’s UN climate conference. They join a UN Environment Programme report also released on Wednesday showing dangerous growth in the "emissions gap" – the difference between current carbon emission levels and those needed to avert climate change.
 
"Every indicator we have in terms of giving us an early warning of climate change and increasing vulnerability is giving us a very strong signal," observed EEA executive director Jacqueline McGlade.
 
"It is across the board, it is not just global temperatures," she told BBC News.
 
"It is in human health aspects, in forests, sea levels, agriculture, biodiversity – the signals are coming in from right across the environment."
 
The report – Climate Change, Impacts and Vulnerabilities in Europe 2012 – involving more than 50 authors from a range of organisations, listed a number of "key messages", including:
 
Observed climate change has "already led to a wide range of impacts on environmental systems and society; further climate change impacts are projected for the future";

Climate change can increase existing vulnerabilities and deepen socio-economic imbalances in Europe;

The combined impacts of projected climate change and socio-economic development is set to see the damage costs of extreme weather events continue to increase.