The burning of fossil fuels is significantly raising global temperatures. However, specific local factors influence how various regions warm at different rates.

Recently, Western Europe experienced its second intense heatwave in just a month. This alarming pattern highlights a concerning trend. Over the last thirty years, Europe has been warming at a much faster rate than any other continent. On average, temperatures there have increased by about 1 degree Fahrenheit, or 0.56 degrees Celsius, per decade since the mid-1990s. This rate is more than double the global pace of warming, according to data from Copernicus, the European Union’s climate monitoring service.

Human activity, through the emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, is driving the planet’s long-term temperature rise. This contributes to more frequent and severe heatwaves. However, the way excess heat is spread around the globe is influenced by several local factors.

In the far northern parts of Europe, the warming atmosphere is melting Arctic sea ice. This loss of ice uncovers the ocean’s dark surfaces, which absorb more of the sun’s energy. This leads to increased warming in the Arctic region and its surroundings.

Another reason for Europe’s rapid warming is pollution controls. While these controls have improved air quality for residents, they have resulted in fewer atmospheric aerosols. These particles previously helped to reflect solar radiation back into space.