Europe confronts severe weather as draft EU plan targets climate risks

Europe faces escalating climate challenges as new reports highlight severe weather impacts across the continent. A recent study estimated that over 50,000 heat-related deaths occurred in European urban areas during its deadliest summer on record, attributing two-thirds of the fatalities to climate change. In response to long-term warming trends, a draft European Commission document reveals the EU is urging member states to prepare response plans for global temperatures rising up to 3°C by the end of the century.

Concurrently, severe storms disrupted parts of Southern Europe. Greek authorities issued emergency alerts for heavy rainfall, hail, and strong winds, forcing school closures and disrupting ferry services across regions including Skiathos, Crete, and the Peloponnese. While localized flooding and property damage occurred, meteorological officials subsequently downgraded the national weather alert from red to orange.

Sources: Euronews Greece, Kathimerini, Der Spiegel, To Vima, Nova TV