Euronews.green writes that average temperatures over the past five years show that values in Europe are currently 2.3 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, compared to 1.3 degrees Celsius globally, according to experts at UN's World Meteorological Organization and the European Union's climate agency, Copernicus.

Elisabeth Hamdouch, the deputy head of unit for Copernicus at the EU’s executive commission, said that "Europe saw yet another year of increasing temperatures and intensifying climate extremes - including heat stress with record temperatures, wildfires, heat waves, glacier ice loss and lack of snowfall."

Climate experts at the two organizations believe that European states still have a great opportunity to start developing on renewable power, such as wind and solar, in an effort to mitigate climate damage. In 2023, 43% of Europe's electricity was generated by green sources, compared to 36% a year before that, with renewables taking over fossil fuels for the second year in a row.

European economic losses caused by climate change-related events were estimated by experts at over 13.4 billion euros.

Copernicus director Carlo Buontempo said that "hundreds of thousands of people were affected by extreme climate events in 2023, which have been responsible for large losses at continental level, estimated to be at least in the tens of billions of euros."

There were some exceptions, though, as thermometers in Iceland and Scandinavia showed lower-than-average temperatures, compared to the rest of the continent.