I see discussion of changing weather patterns, but climate is over a little longer timeframe. The original study which is the basis of the report.Climate change is already altering life in European countries--bringing deadly heat waves and drought to some areas and severe coastal and river flooding to other areas--and these changes threaten to create socioeconomic challenges on the divergent continent, according to a new report released recently by the European Environment Agency (EEA), an agency of the European Union tasked with providing independent information on the environment to guide policy makers.
The report, Climate Change, Impacts and Vulnerabilities in Europe 2012, is the third such document generated by the EEA since 2004. The report examines current and predicted climate change as well as the effects of those changes on both the environment and socioeconomic systems, and identifies vulnerabilities.
"Climate change is already occurring, and its effects can be seen everywhere in Europe," said Hans-Martin Füssel, Ph.D., a project manager at the EEA, and the coordinator of the report. "We observe increases in temperature and changes in precipitation across Europe, but with important differences across seasons and European regions."
A parallel report to be published in early 2013 will discuss adaptation strategies and will review current adaptation efforts across Europe.