Europe endured a historic heatwave across Nordic countries, shrinking glaciers and record sea temperatures in 2025 as the fast-warming continent faces more frequent climate extremes, a new report showed Wednesday."The climate indicators ... are quite worrying," Mauro Facchini, a European Commission official, told journalists. The European State of the Climate report underscores the urgent need for the region to adapt to global warming and accelerate its transition to clean energy, another EU official said.

Here are some key findings of the report published by the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service and the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO):At least 95 percent of the region experienced above-average annual temperatures, with Britain, Norway and Iceland recording their warmest year on record, according to the report."Since 1980, Europe has been warming twice as fast as the global average, making it the fastest warming continent on Earth," WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said in a briefing on the report."Heatwaves are becoming more frequent and severe.

And in 2025, we saw long duration heatwaves from the Mediterranean to the Arctic Circle," Saulo said. Sub-Arctic Finland, Norway and Sweden – a region dubbed Fennoscandia – experienced a record three-week heatwave in July, with temperatures reaching 30C within the Arctic Circle.Parts of Fennoscandia had almost two weeks of "strong heat stress" – when temperatures feel hotter than 32C. In an average year, the region will normally have up to two days of strong heat stress. Sub-Arctic Finland, Norway and Sweden – a region dubbed Fennoscandia – experienced a record three-week heatwave in July, with temperatures reaching 30C within the Arctic Circle.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)