The destructive storms and floods that swept through Europe last year affected 413,000 people, as fossil fuel pollution led to a record hot year for the continent. Dramatic scenes of cars piled up on flooded streets and bridges being torn away by torrents were seen throughout the continent in 2024, with “high” floods affecting 30% of the European river network and 12% crossing the “severe” flood threshold, according to the European State of the Climate report.

The two most destructive examples were the deluges that tore through central Europe in September and eastern Spain in October, which accounted for more than 250 of the 335 flooding deaths recorded across the continent last year. Previous studies have found these disasters were made stronger and more likely because of global heating, which allows clouds to deliver more intense rainfall. In addition, the report highlights an “unusual” contrast between western and eastern Europe, with the west experiencing above-average river flows, while in eastern countries, flows were below average.

Europe is warming twice as fast as the global average, but the continent has managed to cut its planet-heating pollution faster than other major economies. The European Union aims to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and is expected to announce a net-90% reduction target for 2040 later this year. Critics argue that politicians have failed to hold fossil fuel companies accountable for their role in the crisis and urge the EU to update its climate targets and stop the expansion of polluting businesses.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/apr/15/europe-storms-floods-and-wildfires-in-2024-affected-more-than-400000