The new European State of the Climate 2024 report released today by the Copernicus Climate Change Service and the World Meteorological Organization paints a stark picture. 2024 saw a record 335 climate-related deaths due to storms and flooding, with at least 413,000 people affected by storms and floods, and an additional 42,000 people affected by wildfires. Nearly a third of Europe’s river network exceeded high flood thresholds. Heat stress days were the second highest on record, and glacier loss in Scandinavia hit unprecedented levels.
Yet instead of strengthening climate protections, political forces on the centre right and far right, led by the European People's Party (EPP), are actively dismantling Green Deal legislation in a dangerous deregulation drive. These omnibus legislative packages risk undoing crucial progress.
Ciarán Cuffe, co-chair of the European Green Party and former Irish Climate Minister, said:
“From the farmers with parched fields to the people flooded out their homes, people are already dealing with the immediate effects of the climate emergency. They are not distant threats — they are here, now.”
“In the last few years, the EU — under strong pressure from the climate movement, and civil society and with support from the Greens— turned the Green Deal from vision into action. But now the European People's Party and the far right want to take us backwards. Under the guise of ‘deregulation’ and ‘simplification’ they are kicking the can down the road. By delaying solutions urgently needed to protect people from extreme weather, they are failing to protect people — today and for future generations.”
Vula Tsetsi, co-chair of the European Green Party, added:
“If climate action is done right, it brings many benefits: cleaner air, lower energy bills, quality housing, good jobs. We can see the renewable energy revolution already spreading across Europe — this report confirms that wind and sun energy already generated 45% of Europe’s electricity. We have seen huge strides forward in the last decade — now is not the time to backtrack. Now is the time to move forward with strong climate policy in Europe.”
