EUROPE is heating faster than the global average according to new analysis that shows last year was the warmest on record.

To mark Earth Day's 50th anniversary, new studies have found that while globally 2019 was the second warmest, in Europe set a new high mark with climate change amplifying heatwaves.

And now the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has urged governments to show the same determination to stop climate change as with coronavirus.

Over the past five years, global temperatures were, on average, just over 1C warmer than at the end of the 19th century.

In Europe, in the same period, temperatures were almost 2C warmer.

Findings published by the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service underscore how a rapidly warming planet is threatening the livelihoods and economic activity of millions.

The European State of the Climate 2019 shows that warm conditions and summer heatwaves saw drought in many parts of central Europe.

While Britain witnessed a new all-time high temperature recorded in Cambridge in July, in many places across the continent, the weather was 3-4C warmer than normal.

Eleven of the 12 hottest years on record have taken place in the last two decades, melting glaciers, raising sea levels, and complicating the production of goods and services in the world’s second-biggest trading bloc.

READ MORE: Earth Day highlights tireless Scottish efforts tackling pandemic ... and gives us good reason for hope

"We see this trend not just in the temperature, but in everything that’s related to it,” said Carlo Buontempo, the director of Copernicus Climate Change Service. “Major heatwaves, record-breaking temperatures and extreme precipitation are all specific events, but they're part of a pattern.”

European mean temperatures in the last five years were 2C above averages recorded in the second half of the 19th century, according to Copernicus’ annual “European State of the Climate” report.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) says the physical signs of climate change and impacts on our planet have gathered pace in the past five years, which were the hottest on record.

Its predictions show that further increases in global temperature are likely.

It said Covid-19 may contribute to a temporary reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, but said it was "not a substitute for sustained climate action".

“Whilst Covid-19 has caused a severe international health and economic crisis, failure to tackle climate change may threaten human well-being, ecosystems and economies for centuries,” said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas. “We need to flatten both the pandemic and climate change curves,” he said.

“We need to show the same determination and unity against climate change as against COVID-19. We need to act together in the interests of the health and welfare of humanity not just for the coming weeks and months, but for many generations ahead," said Mr Taalas.

“Extreme weather has increased, and it will not go away because of the coronavirus. On the contrary, the pandemic exacerbates the challenge of evacuating people and keeping them safe from tropical cyclones, as we saw with Category-5 strength Harold in the South Pacific. And there is a risk that over-stretched health systems may not be able to cope with an additional burden of patients due to, for example, heatwaves,” he said.

💚 Happy 50th Birthday Earth Day 💚



While #coronavirus may force us to keep our distance, tackling #ClimateChange must remain a top priority.



No matter where you are, you can make a difference.



Together, we can protect the Earth. 🤝🌍@EarthDayNetwork | #COP26 | #EarthDay pic.twitter.com/jcLmtKchT5 — COP26 (@COP26) April 22, 2020

“Vulnerable populations in countries with weaker disaster preparedness systems face the greatest risks. Governments need to do more to strengthen warning systems to cope with multiple hazards,” said Mr Taalas. “WMO will support those efforts.”

Melting glaciers in Greenland, Svalbard and Iceland have been the largest contributors to sea level rise in Europe. The thinning of ice varies across the continent, but since 1997 monitored glaciers have lost about 16 tons of fresh water a square meter—heavier than the weight of a tractor.

Over the last 26 years, global sea levels have risen about 3.2 inches. Melting glaciers alone have contributed just over an inch since 1961.

The final five-year Global Climate report by the intergovernmental organization with a membership of 193 states and territories confirmed that 2015-2019 was the warmest five-year period on record.

The global average temperature increased by 1.1°C since the pre-industrial period, and by 0.2°C compared to 2011-2015, it said. Since the 1980s, each decade has been warmer than the previous one.

The average global temperature in 1970 was +0.24C above the pre-industrial period.

And carbon dioxide (CO2) levels and other key greenhouse gases in the atmosphere rose to new records, with CO2 growth rates 18% higher in 2015-2019 than the previous five years.

CO2 remains in the atmosphere and oceans for centuries.

"This means that the world is committed to continued climate change regardless of any temporary fall in emissions due to the coronavirus epidemic," the WMO said.

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