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CLIMATE CRISIS

Record-breaking winter temperatures warm Europe

Europe has seen "extreme" warm winter weather in recent days, experts have said, with 2023 already posting record temperatures for January across the region.

Published: 7 January 2023 12:42 CET
Record-breaking winter temperatures warm Europe
A hiker walks past a stopped chairlift at Le Semnoz ski resort, near Annecy on 27th December 2022, as the resort had to close temporarily due to the lack of snow. Photo by JEFF PACHOUD / AFP

As temperatures rise globally because of human-caused climate change, scientists say heatwaves and spells of warmer-than-average weather are becoming more common throughout the year.

After experiencing searing summer heat and a drought unprecedented in centuries, a wave of warm weather across Europe this winter has melted the snow from ski slopes in the Alps and Pyrenees, and seen temperatures above 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit) even in normally-freezing central
regions.   

Several European countries saw record-breaking heat on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

Hundreds of weather stations across Europe have recorded all-time highest daily temperatures for the months of December or January, it said this week.

Freja Vamborg, Senior Scientist at Europe’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), said the current winter heatwave is an “extreme” heat event in Europe in terms of how far temperatures have deviated from what is expected at this time of year.   

Here Vamborg answers some key questions about the heatwave:

What caused these high temperatures?

“On the 1st of January there was a strong flow of air from the southwest across the affected area, which would have brought warmer air further north and penetrated unusually far east, reaching even to Belarus. Minimal snow cover was very probably another relevant factor.”

“The circulation of any given weather situation and climate change are not two independent things. Climate change itself also has an impact on the circulation, and will also impact how warm those moving air masses are. This is what makes it so complex to disentangle just simply a weather event, from
the level to which climate change influenced such an event.”

How is climate change involved?

“With increasing global temperatures, heatwaves and warm spells are becoming more frequent and intense — this is not restricted to the summer months.”

“While the warming trend in Europe is on average stronger in the warmer seasons, winters are also becoming warmer as a result of global temperatures.”

“Northern Europe has warmed more strongly in winter than in summer, while in the south the warming trend is more apparent in summer.”

What is the impact of these high winter temperatures?

“A couple of things can be mentioned for warm temperatures during the winter months. While it means less need for heating of housing and other infrastructures, low snow cover affects the winter tourism industry.”

“Possible impacts on natural ecosystems, include early return from hibernation, which may have negative impacts if followed by much less mild/freezing conditions.”

“The overall impact will be different depending on the longevity and intensity of the event.”

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SHOPPING

Number of Swedes buying second-hand has more than doubled in five years

In 2018, only 28 percent of Swedes bought second-hand clothes. Last year, that number increased to 75 percent, according to a new report by Swedish second-hand chain Myrorna, which described it as a “complete U-turn”. Why is this?

Published: 22 April 2024 13:37 CEST
Number of Swedes buying second-hand has more than doubled in five years

“Consumer attitudes and behaviours are changing,” consumer researcher Gabriella Wulff, who specialises in the fashion and textile industry, wrote in the report.

Swedish consumers’ attitudes towards second-hand items have changed drastically in the past five years. According to Myrorna, the second-hand market is currently worth more than ever at 20 billion kronor a year, and trade association Svensk Handel expects it to grow by 1.5 billion kronor this year alone.

“It’s no longer just a small number of people shopping second-hand as they can’t afford new clothing,” Wulff said. 

“Instead, we see that second hand has become a hype and that it’s linked to positive values.”

Younger people are more likely to buy clothes or other items second-hand than older people, whether that’s in a brick-and-mortar shop or online, and younger people were also more likely to sell their own items on the second-hand market, with older individuals more likely to donate items or clothing to second-hand shops, like Myrorna or similar shops like Stadsmissionen and Röda Korset. 

More than four in five of those interviewed – 86 percent – said that they sell or donate used items rather than throwing them away, with 72 percent of that group saying they prefer to donate rather than sell.

Why do Swedes buy second-hand?

The vast majority (91 percent) of people Myrorna interviewed – both men and women – said that the primary reason they buy second-hand items is because it’s cheaper than buying new, with the second most popular answer being the environmental benefit.

Almost three quarters of interviewees – 73 percent – were worried about the climate and the future of the planet, with 78 percent saying it is necessary to buy and use second-hand items in order to solve the climate crisis.

The third most popular answer differed between genders. Women said that they liked to buy second-hand as it’s a “fun way to shop”, while men appreciated the fact that they could find unique items.

“Many people like to buy second-hand, partly because it offers a different kind of experience than buying new,” consumer researcher Åsa Callmer, specialising in sustainable consumption, wrote in Myrorna’s report.

“This is partly because people can shop with a better conscience, as they’re not buying a new item of clothing or a new gadget which has been produced in conditions that hurt both people and the environment, and partly because they can buy clothes and items which have their own history.”

“Finding deals and combining these to create a personal style is completely different than buying newly-produced fast-fashion, and many second-hand consumers see it as an important part of their identity.”

What do they buy?

Items purchased in second-hand shops also differed between genders. The most popular items to buy second-hand for both genders were clothes, with 51 percent of women and 22 percent of men saying they bought these items second-hand.

The next most popular items for women were glass and porcelain (35 percent), children’s clothing (29 percent), furniture (28 percent), books and accessories (both 27 percent). Men, on the other hand, had furniture in second place (22 percent), followed by electronics and books (both 20 percent), glass and porcelain (15 percent) and tools (14 percent).

The least popular item for Swedes to buy second-hand was shoes, with over a third of interviewees saying they wouldn’t even consider doing so.

Do Swedes buy more second-hand than newly produced items?

No, at least not where clothes are concerned. On average, Swedes buy 50 new items of clothing per person per year, spending an average of 9,600 kronor a year. That compares to only 1,094 kronor on second-hand clothing – so only a tenth of a Swede’s clothing budget is used on second hand clothes.

“There’s a big step between starting to buy second-hand and adopting a circular lifestyle,” Callmer said. “In order to adopt a circular lifestyle, second-hand items need to replace purchases of newly produced items to a greater degree. Otherwise you’re just buying more items in total, and for a circular economy to be sustainable, the total number of items being produced and consumed needs to decrease.”

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