Europe Shattered Climate Records in 2025 with Unprecedented Heat and Wildfires
Record-Breaking Climate Events and Their Impacts Across Europe
By Kate Abnett
Unprecedented Heat and Wildfires
BRUSSELS, April 29 (Reuters) - 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, EU scientists and the World Meteorological Organization said on Thursday.
At least 95% of Europe experienced above-average temperatures, while wildfires burnt more than 1 million hectares of land - an area larger than Cyprus and the biggest annual total on record, the WMO and the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service said in their annual report on Europe's climate.
Policy Response and Economic Concerns
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.
Warming Trends and Drought Conditions
Europe is the world's fastest-warming continent. The WMO and Copernicus said more than half of Europe was hit by drought conditions in May 2025, and the year overall was one of the three driest for soil moisture since 1992, as the warming climate imposes harsher conditions on farmers.
Marine Heatwaves and Sea Surface Temperatures
Europe's overall sea surface temperature hit an annual record high, and 86% of the region suffered strong marine heatwaves.
Expert Insights and Calls for Action
Urgency of Addressing Climate Change
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.
Vulnerable Regions and Melting Ice
Albedo Effect and Sea Level Rise
The WMO and Copernicus 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.
Extreme Events in the Arctic and Sub-Arctic
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.
(Reporting by Kate Abnett; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
