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Record temperatures in March 2025: Europe experiences historic highs

According to data from the European Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), March 2025 was the warmest March in Europe since records began. The global average temperature reached 14.06°C, which is 1.6°C above pre-industrial levels. This increase means that over the past 21 months, the average temperature has been up to 20 times higher than pre-industrial levels, by 1.5°C. citeturn0search6

Extreme rainfall and drought in Europe

In addition to high temperatures, Europe also faced significant precipitation extremes in March. Some areas recorded their highest precipitation totals in 47 years, while other regions experienced their driest March in the same period. These contrasting conditions highlight the impact of climate change on precipitation patterns and their unpredictability. citeturn0news19

Continuing warming trend

2024 was the warmest year on record, according to NASA, with an average temperature 1.28°C above the 1951–1980 average. citeturn0search11 This trend is continuing in 2025, with forecasts indicating that the year will be among the three warmest years on record. citeturn0news26

Implications for the future

These record temperatures and extreme weather events underscore the urgency of addressing climate change. Scientists warn that any further increase in temperature increases the intensity and frequency of extreme events such as heat waves, heavy rains and droughts. It is imperative that the global community take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to a changing climate. Spring

More and More and More – An irresistible look at our energy history

Jean-Baptiste Fressoz, a prominent historian of science, technology and the environment, tells us in his book More and More and More: An All-Consuming History of Energy exposes a fundamental misconception that has shaped our understanding of energy transitions for years. Instead of the traditional narrative of one energy source gradually replacing another – from wood to coal to oil to nuclear – Fressoz argues that it is actually a constant increase in energy consumption, where new sources are simply piled on top of old ones.

Accumulation instead of transition

According to Fressoz, there has never been a “transition” from one energy source to another. For example, the era of coal, which was supposed to replace wood, actually led to increased wood consumption – to support coal mining, railway construction and other industrial activities. Similarly, the transition to oil did not bring about the complete disappearance of coal or wood use, but rather supplemented the existing energy mix. In this way, a picture emerges where new technologies and energy sources are not separated from the old ones, but “built on” them, thus constantly increasing overall energy consumption.

Implications for the fight against climate change

Fressoz's arguments have fundamental implications for our efforts to mitigate climate change. If there is no clear transition from fossil fuels to clean energy sources, as has long been advocated, then strategies based solely on the development of renewables will not be sufficient. Our society must face the fact that, despite the growth of solar and wind energy, overall fossil fuel consumption may continue to grow, complicating efforts to reduce emissions.

A call to rethink our ideas

Fressoz calls on us to free ourselves from the illusion of an energy transition, which was initially promoted not only by environmental activists but also by energy companies themselves. These companies often use the concept of a transition to “green energy” as an excuse to postpone radical measures, while the real reality is much more complicated. Our historical experience shows that instead of a pure replacement of one resource by another, there is a symbiotic relationship, where each new technology only increases the total consumption of energy.

Jean-Baptiste Fressoz with his work More and More and More offers an important and provocative look at our energy history. His analysis forces us to realize that combating climate change requires much more than just a technological transition—it also requires fundamental changes in our consumption model, economic paradigm, and approach to the use of natural resources. For anyone interested in issues of sustainability, energy policy, and climate change, this book is essential reading, offering profound and often uncomfortable insights into where our civilization is leading us.

Jean-Baptiste Fressoz thus opens the door to rethinking our ideas about the future – a future where the solution is not just a transition to "green" sources, but also a fundamental reduction in our overall consumption and the transformation of our economic models. Spring

The EEA launches the "Our Environment: Our Future" campaign.

Do you have a story about how you made a positive difference, improved our environment and helped build a more sustainable future? So why not submit it and take part in the European Environment Agency's (EEA) information campaign "Our Environment: Our Future"? Tell us about Europe's environment through your actions and your own words.  ( More on eea.europa.eu )

Global warming above 3°C could shrink the world economy by 40%

New research suggests that if global temperatures rise by more than 3°C above pre-industrial levels this century, global GDP could be reduced by up to 40 %. These findings represent a fundamental shift in understanding the economic consequences of climate change, as traditional economic models have so far underestimated the impact of extreme weather events and disruptions to global supply chains.

Why are the economic consequences much more serious?

According to a new analysis by a group of scientists from Australia and published in the prestigious journal Environmental Research Letters, global warming above 3°C will not only result in an increased frequency of extreme weather events – such as severe storms, floods and prolonged droughts – but also have serious impacts on international trade networks and supply chains. These extreme events can cause a “cascading” disruption to production processes, which in turn leads to a significant decline in economic activity.

Linking local and global damages

While traditional models have focused largely on the local effects of climate change, the new approach emphasizes the interconnectedness of the global economy. For example, if extreme droughts hit major agricultural areas, it is not just a local loss – global supply chains and markets can suffer, leading to significant declines in incomes and living standards in many countries.

Mitigation and adaptation options

The research also highlights that even relatively mild warming of around 2°C could lead to a reduction in GDP per capita of around 16 %, which is still an alarming figure. It is therefore essential that governments and international organisations immediately adopt ambitious policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while investing in adaptation to the necessary changes. Key measures include introducing a single carbon price, promoting low-carbon technologies and improving infrastructure to cope with extreme weather events.

Call for international cooperation

While the research highlights enormous risks, it also offers hope – with an emphasis on rapid and coordinated international action, it is possible to limit global warming to levels that minimize economic damage. Experts warn that any delay in action only increases future costs and reduces adaptation options, which could lead to long-term and irreversible damage to the global economy.


New analysis clearly suggests that without immediate and ambitious action, we face serious economic risks that could dramatically reduce the living standards of billions of people. If we are to protect our global economy and future generations, we need to act now. Spring


Glossary of key terms

  • Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs): Models that combine knowledge from different disciplines (e.g. climatology, economics, energy) to analyse complex issues such as climate change and its economic consequences, and to evaluate different policy measures.
  • Damage function: A mathematical relationship in IAMs that quantifies economic damage (usually as a percentage decrease in GDP) depending on the level of global warming.
  • SSP (Shared Socioeconomic Pathways): Scenarios of future socio-economic development that are used in climate models to project future greenhouse gas emissions and subsequent climate change. SSP1-2.6 represents a low-emissions scenario, while SSP5-8.5 represents a very high-emissions scenario.
  • CMIP6 (Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6): The sixth phase of a large-scale international climate model intercomparison project, providing a standardized set of climate projections.
  • Econometric models: Statistical models used to estimate relationships between economic variables and other factors, in this case between economic growth and weather conditions.
  • Global weather: In the context of the article, it refers to averages of weather variables (especially temperature and precipitation) around the world.
  • Local weather: Weather conditions specific to a given country or region.
  • DICE (Dynamic Integrated Climate-Economy): One of the most famous IAMs, created by William Nordhaus, is used to analyze the costs and benefits of climate change measures and to estimate the optimal level of emission reductions.
  • Welfare-optimal climate policy: A climate policy that maximizes overall societal welfare, taking into account the costs of reducing emissions and the benefits of averting climate damage.
  • Carbon price: A price paid for the emission of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases, with the aim of internalizing the externalities associated with their release and incentivizing emission reductions.

Olympic athletes ask IOC to prioritize mitigating climate crisis

A total of 451 Olympic athletes from 91 countries, including Indonesia, have called on International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Kirsty Coventry to prioritize responding to the climate crisis over the growing impact of climate change, particularly citing the recent wildfires in Los Angeles, the host city of the 2028 Olympics.

The appeal was made in an open letter signed by athletes. Signatories include Indonesian wall climber Veddriq Leonardo, a gold medalist at the Paris 2024 Olympics, and Rajiah Sallsabillah, a gold medalist at the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) Chamonix 2023 World Cup in France and a participant at the 2024 Olympics. (Gusty Da Costa more on indonesiabusinesspost.com)

Save the date! The European State of the Climate 2024 is released on April 15th

The European State of the Climate will be published on 15 April 2025 and will provide a wide range of new data and analysis on the year 2024. After collecting and analysing key climate data for the year, an effort involving around 100 contributors, the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) and the World Meteorological Organization (WOT) are publishing the European State of the Climate (WOTC 2024), which provides a detailed overview and key insights on a wide range of climate variables and topics. ( More on climate.copernicus.eu)

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