Several European countries, including Austria, France, Germany, Poland, and Switzerland, have recently experienced record-breaking temperatures during the month of September. These extreme weather occurrences serve as a stark reminder of the ongoing and intensifying impacts of climate change, casting a shadow over a year already predicted to be one of the warmest in human history.
Austria, France, Germany, Poland, and Switzerland have all reported their hottest September on record, sending alarm bells ringing across the continent. These unseasonably high temperatures come on the heels of a report from the EU climate monitor earlier in the month, which stated that global temperatures during the Northern Hemisphere summer reached unprecedented levels.
France, typically known for its mild September weather, saw average temperatures soar to around 21.5 degrees Celsius (70.7 degrees Fahrenheit). This was a staggering 3.5 to 3.6 degrees Celsius higher than the reference period from 1991 to 2020. This pattern of temperatures surpassing monthly norms has persisted in France for nearly two years, setting off concern among climate scientists.
Germany, too, experienced its hottest September on record, with temperatures reaching nearly 4 degrees Celsius above the 1961-1990 baseline, according to Germany’s weather authority, DWD.
In Poland, the national weather institute reported September temperatures that were 3.6 degrees Celsius higher than the average, marking the hottest September since records began over a century ago.
The Alpine nations of Austria and Switzerland, known for their pristine landscapes, also documented their highest-ever average September temperatures. This is a particularly troubling development given a recent study revealing that Swiss glaciers had lost 10 percent of their volume in just two years due to extreme warming.
The extreme weather was not limited to these countries alone. Spain and Portugal’s national meteorological institutes issued warnings of abnormally high temperatures expected to affect the region, with parts of southern Spain experiencing temperatures exceeding 35 degrees Celsius.
Climate scientists are unequivocal in their attribution of these soaring temperatures to climate change, driven primarily by human activity. With global temperatures now approximately 1.2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, the consequences are becoming increasingly apparent.
The El Niño weather phenomenon, which warms waters in the southern Pacific and beyond, is expected to contribute further to temperature increases in the coming years.
The ramifications of these disruptions to the Earth’s climate systems are severe and widespread, including more frequent and intense extreme weather events such as heatwaves, droughts, wildfires, and storms. These events result in not only environmental devastation but also greater loss of life and property.
As the world grapples with the reality of climate change, leaders and experts will gather in Dubai starting on November 30 for critical UN talks aimed at mitigating its worst effects. Central to these discussions will be the objective of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, as outlined in the 2015 Paris Agreement. Key topics will include reducing greenhouse gas emissions, transitioning away from fossil fuels, climate financing, and expanding renewable energy capacity.
Francois Gemenne, the lead author of a UN climate report, stresses that until we achieve carbon neutrality, heat records will continue to be broken with increasing frequency. This underscores the pressing need for immediate and concerted global action to address climate change before its consequences become even more devastating and irreversible.
