Europe faces climate collapse, tourism under severe threat

Report key findings

At least 95% of Europe experienced above-average annual temperatures in 2025.

A record three-week heatwave affected sub-Arctic Fennoscandia, with temperatures near to and within the Arctic Circle exceeding 30°C.

Glaciers in all European regions saw a net mass loss, with Iceland recording its second-largest glacier loss on record; snow cover was 31% below average; the Greenland Ice Sheet lost 139 gigatonnes (139 billion tonnes) of ice.

The annual sea surface temperature for the European region was the highest on record, and 86% of the region experienced at least ‘strong’ marine heatwaves.

Wildfires burnt around 1,034,550 hectares, the largest area on record.

River flows were below average for 11 months of the year across Europe, with 70% of rivers seeing below-average annual flows.

Storms and flooding affected thousands across Europe, though extreme rainfall and flooding were less widespread than in recent years.

Renewables supplied nearly half (46.4%) of Europe’s electricity in 2025, with solar power reaching a new contribution record of 12.5%.

Biodiversity is vital for a sustainable future, but climate change is a major cause of its degradation. Climate change and biodiversity are strongly connected within European policy and frameworks.

Florian Pappenberger, Director-General of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, said: “Europe is the fastest-warming continent, and the impacts are already severe. Almost the whole region has seen above-average annual temperatures. In 2025, sub‑Arctic Norway, Sweden and Finland recorded their worst heatwave on record with 21 straight days and temperatures exceeding 30°C within the Arctic Circle itself. The 2025 report offers clear, actionable insights to support policy decisions and help the public better understand the changing climate we live in.”

Rapid changes impact Europe’s colder regionsas well as tourism

The report shows a continuing trend of rapid warming across Europe’s coldest regions –including in the Arctic and the Alps, where snow and ice play a critical role in slowing climate change by reflecting sunlight back into space.

At least 95% of Europe experienced above-average annual temperatures in 2025, while the area of Europe experiencing winter days with freezing temperatures is shrinking.

Meanwhile, Europe as a whole saw a record low number of cold stress days, with 90% of the continent experiencing fewer days than average with at least ‘strong’ cold stress. Minimum temperatures remained above average for most of the year.

Above-average temperature and below-average precipitation led to a significant loss of snow and ice cover. In March 2025, the snow-covered area in Europe was about 1.32 million km² (31%) below average – equivalent to the combined area of France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. This marked the third lowest snow extent since records began in 1983. Glaciers also experienced a net mass loss, with Iceland recording its second-largest glacier mass loss on record.

The impact on the tourism sector is obvious and will not disappear. Accelerating climate extremes are increasingly redefining European tourism, shortening winter ski seasons in the Alps, raising safety risks in Mediterranean summer destinations due to heatwaves and wildfires, and boosting pressure on infrastructure across coastal and urban hotspots.

Destinations are now being forced to adapt with year-round strategies, resilience planning, and diversification away from climate-dependent tourism models.