Dimitris Kouimtsidis
LAST year was the warmest year in Europe’s history, it has been announced.
According to the study by the European State of the Climate (Esotc), 2019 registered the highest temperatures in Europe since records began.
This is closely followed by 2014, 2015 and 2018, showing the upward trend in recent years.
Since 2000, we have experienced 11 of the 12 warmest years on record.
Last year two heat waves were registered, one in June and one in July, which contributed to increased drought and low soil water levels in central Europe.
In Europe the temperature has risen by 2? since the 19th century.
The rainfall record in 2019 was close to the annual average, but with large regional differences, with heavy rains in western and southern Europe that led to episodes of heavy waterspouts and severe flooding.
In south west Europe, rainfall was below average in winter, spring and summer, however the situation changed in autumn and December when large areas of the region registered above average figures.
According to the Esotc analysis, the concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide and methane are also increasing.
“We would need to look back millions of years in history to find concentrations as high as in 2019,” said an Esotc spokesperson.
Meanwhile, the estimated net flows of greenhouse gases such as, carbon dioxide, methane and nitrogen dioxide in the atmosphere have also increased in recent decades.
