A new report by the UN’s World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service has said that almost all of Europe experienced above-average heat in 2025, a year that broke records for wildfires, sea temperatures, and heatwaves as climate change worsens. According to the European State of the Climate report, at least 95% of Europe experienced above-average temperatures, while wildfires burnt more than 1 million hectares of land.
Europe feeling the heat of climate change
The report, which noted that Europe continues as the fastest-warming continent, said the region is warming twice as fast as the global average.
Scientists also pointed out that rapid warming across the continent last year caused a significant reduction of snow and ice cover,on land and at sea, drought, wildfires, and continuing biodiversity loss.
Europe’s overall hit an annual record high, and 86% of the region suffered strong marine heatwaves.
“Heatwaves hit across the continent, including Europe’s second most severe heatwave on record, and the longest and most severe July heatwave in sub-Arctic Fennoscandia, with temperatures near to and within the Arctic Circle exceeding 30°C,” the report said.
“The European State of the Climate Report shows, once again, that is a reality for Europe, underlining the importance of an independent, world-class Earth observation system. Copernicus provides the information we need to guide the decisions that will shape a more resilient, more sustainable and stronger future for Europe,’’ Andrius Kubilius, Commissioner for Defence and Space, said in a statement.
Climate change having increasingly severe consequences
The findings set out how climate change is having increasingly severe consequences in Europe, at a time when some governments seek to weaken emissions-cutting policies over economic concerns. The European Union has vowed to stick to its green goals, but it weakened some climate rules for cars and companies last year after pressure from industry to help struggling firms.
Samantha Burgess, strategic lead at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, said the report showed that “climate change is not a future threat, it is our present reality.”
“The pace of climate change demands more urgent action,” she said.
Concern over snow and ice cover
The WMO and noted particular concern about changes in Europe’s coldest regions – where snow and ice cover is crucial to help slow climate change, by reflecting sunlight back into space. This phenomenon, known as the “albedo effect”, decreases if warmer temperatures cause more melting. Ice loss also adds to sea level rise.
Sub-Arctic Norway, Sweden and Finland experienced their heaviest heatwave on record last July, lasting three consecutive weeks, and temperatures inside the Arctic Circle breached 30 degrees Celsius. Iceland recorded its second-largest glacier loss in 2025 since records began, the report said.
- Europe is warming at twice the global average, underscoring the urgency of climate action.
- Record heatwaves and wildfires are becoming increasingly common, indicating severe climate impacts.
- Governments face challenges in balancing economic concerns with necessary climate policies.
