Latest news and stories about climate change in europe in Portugal for expats and residents.
From the extreme spring rain to the devastating summer wildfires, Portugal emerges as one of the examples of climate instability on the continent that is warming faster than the rest of the world.
The Copernicus Service reports that June was the hottest on record for Western Europe and the second hottest globally, with temperatures significantly exceeding historical averages and contributing to excess mortality.
Environment Minister Graça Carvalho warns that Europe must adapt to extreme weather events as a heatwave approaches, while the Greens party urges an emergency summit of EU leaders.
New research indicates that human-induced global warming has significantly increased the intensity and probability of the current European heat wave compared to historical climate patterns.
The scientific consortium World Weather Attribution estimates that global warming has increased by 20 times the probability of Spain facing conditions of heat, drought, and strong winds – which are conducive to forest fires.
Recent analyses indicate that both the June heatwaves and the drought currently affecting Europe were fuelled by human-induced climate change.
Wildfires have already killed three people, destroyed thousands of homes and forced 300,000 people to flee.
Global warming also doubled the likelihood of this year's tinderbox conditions in France, says snap scientific analysis.
Europe, the continent most exposed to global warming and the territory of uncontrolled wildfires, is cutting funding intended to combat them in favour of funds allocated to combat Russia.
Climate change and poor forest management are making fires in Europe increasingly difficult to control. There is an urgent need to make difficult choices for which there is no consensus.
Skip to main content Skip to navigation ! Firefighters with tools work in a dry field as large flames and smoke billow in the background Residents and firefighters work to extinguish an advancing wildfire near Formariz, in Zamora province, Spain, on Wednesday.
Commissioner warns that the wildfire response requires more funding, better forest management, and risk education. France and Spain are facing wildfires exacerbated by climate change.
Wildfires like those that have raged in recent days in France and Spain are “the result of brutal heatwaves that have left landscapes parched,” estimates the United Nations Executive Secretary for Climate Change.
King Felipe VI of Spain praised the exemplary coordination of authorities in fighting wildfires in Ávila, Madrid, and Toledo, which have caused incalculable damage to natural heritage. Accompanied by Queen Letizia, the King visited a shelter for displaced residents and highlighted the effectiveness of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, while suggesting it may need further strengthening given the simultaneous wildfire risks in Spain and France. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has called for a state pact against climate change as over 150,000 hectares have burned in Spain this year.
The lack of water, exacerbated by heat and dry vegetation, has contributed to wildfires having already devastated more territory this year than the annual average of the last two decades in Europe.
The report highlights how rising temperatures are depleting water resources across Europe, with Portugal identified as one of the nations most vulnerable to these effects.
Steelmakers, chemical producers and power generators will be able to release emissions well into the 2040s under the proposed law.
Germany recorded approximately 5,120 heat-related deaths this year, most of which occurred at the end of June when average weekly temperatures exceeded 20 degrees Celsius, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for public health reported this Thursday.
In Western Europe, an average temperature of 20.74 degrees Celsius (°C) was recorded, 3.05 °C above the June average for the 1991-2020 period.
The European Copernicus programme states that scientific models point to an “extreme climate scenario”. It would be “a very big surprise” if there were no temperature records.
In a summer where Europe broke temperature records in 12 countries and recorded over 1,300 deaths, 85 billion euros in social transition funds remained dormant due to a lack of submitted plans.
Europe faces extreme heat with uneven responses: Brussels admits a delay in policies and is betting on a shift towards prevention, with buildings and cities at the centre of adaptation.
European Commission Executive Vice-President Teresa Ribera acknowledged this Wednesday, during a plenary meeting of the Committee of the Regions (CoR), the “frightening scenario” affecting the European climate. “Thirty-seven degrees may be common in Southern Europe, but no longer so much in Brussels,” admitted the Commissioner for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition.
The heatwave in Europe continues to cause significant impacts in several countries, with France recording an increase in mortality.
Global sea surface temperatures (SST) have already surpassed the record levels for this time of year, reached in 2023 and 2024, according to the latest data from the European Copernicus programme, it was announced today.
The promise to remove tomorrow the carbon we insist on emitting today risks becoming the indulgence of our era. The doubts that have accumulated this week should restore a little lucidity to us.
Denmark recorded a maximum temperature of 37 degrees today, breaking a record since records began over 150 years ago, the Nordic country's Meteorological Institute revealed.
The previous maximum of 40.4ºC dated back to 2012. A study reveals that 45% of European cities have broken or are about to surpass historic heat stress records.
An analysis of 854 cities across 30 European countries concluded that 385 locations have exceeded or may exceed their highest temperature records in the coming days.
