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Climate and environment

Problem

Climate change makes the warming of European seas exceptional

Published: 18 August 2026

What happened

According to the analysis by World Weather Attribution, human-caused climate change played a decisive role in the exceptional sea temperatures recorded in European seas during summer 2026.

In the Mediterranean, the average surface temperature in July reached around 27 °C, and vast areas of European seas were affected by marine heatwaves.

Why it matters

Ocean warming is not only about water temperature: it can alter ecosystems, species distribution, fisheries and weather phenomena, showing how interconnected climate effects can be.

To understand it better