Brussels: Europe and the Arabs - Agencies
The European Environment Agency warned that Europe could face “catastrophic” situations if it does not assess the climate risks it faces, many of which have already reached a critical level.
According to the Sky News website, the agency wrote on Monday, in a statement presenting its first report on assessing climate risks in Europe, that “the extreme heat, drought, forest fires and floods that we have witnessed in recent years in Europe will worsen” and “will affect living conditions throughout the continent.” ".
The agency’s director, Lena Yalla-Mononen, stressed during a press conference that “these events represent the new normal and should also serve as a warning shot.” According to what was reported by the Youm7 website in Cairo this morning.
The study lists 36 of the main climate risks for Europe, of which 21 require immediate action and eight require an emergency response. The first of these risks are those associated with ecosystems, especially marine and coastal ones.
For example, the report noted that the combined effects of marine heatwaves, acidification, sea oxygen depletion and other factors (pollution, fishing...) threaten the functioning of marine ecosystems. "This could lead to significant biodiversity loss, including mass die-offs," he added.
For the agency, the priority is for European governments and their people to unanimously recognize the risks and agree to do more, more quickly.
“We have to do more and adopt stronger policies,” Yella-Mononen said.
But at the same time, the agency acknowledged that “significant progress” had been made in terms of “understanding climate risks (...) and preparing for these risks.”
According to the agency, the areas most at risk are those located in southern Europe (fires, water shortages and their impacts on agricultural production, and the effect of heat on outdoor work and health) and low-altitude coastal areas (floods, salt water intrusion...).
The agency stressed that northern Europe was not spared the effects, as demonstrated by the recent floods in Germany or forest fires in Sweden.