Report, published by European Environment Agency, shows that climate change is already having wide-ranging impacts on ecosystems, economic sectors and human health and well-being in Europe. Climate change is affecting all regions in Europe, but the impacts are not uniform. Most impacts of climate change across Europe have been adverse, although some impacts have been beneficial.
Precipitation patterns are changing, generally making wet regions in Europe wetter and dry regions drier. Glacier volume and snow cover are decreasing, while climate-related extremes such as heat waves, heavy precipitation and droughts, are increasing in frequency and intensity in many regions.
The average annual losses from climate extremes have increased from EUR 7.6 billion in the 1980s to EUR 13 billion in the 1990s and EUR 13.7 billion in the 2000s. Over the period 1980–2013, recorded losses from climate extremes in Europe amounted to EUR 393 billion, what is equal to 0.1 % of cumulative deflated GDP over the same period.
Report also states that the magnitude of climate change and its impacts can be significantly reduced by global mitigation policy set by the 2015 Paris Agreement under UNFCCC with goal of keeping the increase in global average temperature to well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels.
