Europe fastest-warming continent, report finds

Europe had its warmest year on record in 2024 and is the fastest-warming continent, becoming hotter at twice the global average rate, a United Nations report has said.

The second annual European State of the Climate report, which includes inputs from around 100 scientists and experts, said extreme weather, record temperatures and heavy rainfall that ravaged Europe were a direct result of man-made climate change.

The report, which the UN World Meteorological Organization, or WMO, and the Copernicus Climate Change Service, or C3S, released on Tuesday, said 2024 was a year of extremes. It found 45 percent of Europe's days were much warmer than average, and 12 percent were the warmest on record.