Europe could suffer “catastrophic” consequences from climate change if it fails to take urgent and decisive action to adapt to risks, a new EU analysis warned Monday. Areas in southern Europe are most at risk, the European Environment Agency (EEA) said in its first report on the climate risks the continent faces. The dangers include fires, water shortages and their effects on agricultural production, while low-lying coastal regions face threats of flooding, erosion and saltwater intrusion.
“Many of these risks have already reached critical levels and could become catastrophic without urgent and decisive action,” the agency said. That doesn’t mean northern Europe is spared the negative impact, as floods in Germany and forest fires in Sweden have demonstrated in recent years.“Extreme heat, drought, wildfires, and flooding, as experienced in recent years, will worsen in Europe even under optimistic global warming scenarios and affect living conditions throughout the continent,” the EEA warne