IPCC: Europe has been warming faster than the global average

The Guardian (UK) via the Carbon Brief: Europe has been warming faster than the global average over the last 30 years, the UN's new climate report reveals. This week, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released part one of its scientific report in full.

Among some of the most significant findings from a summary of the report released a few days ago are that humans are responsible for at least half of the warming experienced in recent decades. The report also predicts higher sea levels and further warming worldwide if greenhouse gas emissions continue. The full report also looks at how climate change could pan out differently across the many regions of the world. There will be much more on this when the IPCC releases the second part of its climate report in March 2014. But the first part provides some valuable insights about how climate change affects Europe.

Since 1979, the land in Europe has been warming faster than the global average of 0.27 degrees Celsius (°C) per decade - but some parts have been warming faster than others. In northern Europe - the region encompassing countries such as the UK and Sweden - temperatures have risen by 0.48°C per decade. In the central Europe region, where countries like France and Germany sit, temperatures have risen 0.44°C per decade. Temperatures in southern Europe and the Mediterranean have risen a little slower, at around 0.34°C per decade.

In addition to the warming trend, it's also very likely - which means scientists are 90 per cent certain - that Europe has experienced a greater number of warm days and nights since 1950s, according to the report. Since the 1950s, it's also likely that the number of heatwaves in Europe has risen....