Slippery slopes

The Independent Climate Newsletter

SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE January 06, 2023 View in browser As Europe rang in the year 2023, a blanket of heat silently draped itself over much of the continent.   At least eight countries experienced their highest-ever January temperatures on New Year's Day. Polish capital Warsaw saw 18.9 degrees Celsius (66 degrees Fahrenheit) - breaking the previous record by more than 5C. In the town of Delemont, Switzerland, the daily average hit 18.1C (nearly 65F) on 1st January - more than 2C above the previous record.   Spring-like temperatures and rain smudged out snowy playgrounds across the Alps from Innsbruck, Austria to Chamonix, France, leaving behind grassy hillsides dotted with rocks. Dozens of ski runs were closed due to the lack of snow and some low-elevation resorts were shuttered entirely just weeks after a promising start to the season in France, Austria, Switzerland, Italy and Bosnia. At the Ski World Cup in Zagreb, Croatia, a race was canceled on Thursday due to high temperatures and strong winds.  People on a ski slope in Filzmoos, south of Salzburg, Austria on 5th January, 2023. A heatwave in much of Europe has meant green grass on many mountaintops (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader) "The basic message is pretty simple - humans are warming the planet by burning fossil fuels and we're seeing these increasingly strong heatwaves in summer but also very warm periods in winter," Dr Reto Knutti, a climate scientist at research university ETH Zurich, told The Independent.   Last year was the hottest on record in both Switzerland and France and globally, the past eight years are tracking to be the warmest ever. The UK recorded an annual average temperature of more than 10C for the first time last year, the Met Office confirmed this week, announcing 2022 as the country's hottest year on record.   Superimposed onto the long-term global heating trend came a persistent flow of warm air from the west and southwest over new year which locked in higher temperatures across Europe.   Dr Knutti grew up in Gstaad in the Swiss Alps, one of the popular ski resorts which started 2023 with very little snow.   "I still go about every winter for skiing," he said. "I have friends and relatives there, so I'm very much connected. And that's where this gets personal because it's the very same spots where [I] learned to ski. Before anyone was talking about artificial snow, it was just normal that there was snow all the time in winter. And now it's no longer the case."   When he recently returned to Gstaad with his children, they went hiking and had a barbecue instead of skiing. "You can now go to 2,000 meters above sea level and put sausages on a fire," he said.   Read more QUOTE OF THE WEEK "This year, we prioritise attendance over arrest and relationships over roadblocks, as we stand together and become impossible to ignore." Extinction Rebellion announced a shift in protest tactics on 1st January   What you might have missed Cities ablaze and countries submerged: The worst climate disasters of 2022 Two killed in California 'bomb cyclone', 160,000 left in blackout UK sees annual temperature average more than 10C for first time Shell to pay £1.7bn in UK and EU windfall taxes on energy price profits Most glaciers 'will be gone by 2100 if global temperatures rise by 4C' Rishi Sunak 'hasn't a clue' on climate, says scientist Enjoying this newsletter? Unlock unlimited, ad-free reading on the website and in The Independent app when you subscribe – plus, benefit from our welcome offer when you join today. CARBON COUNTER 418.26 Parts per million of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere on January 4, 2023 (Find out more at source: NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory) Changemakers EV battery CEO speaks out about being trans in the  sustainability sector IndyBest/Best Eco Buy How to keep warm without turning the heating on In the face of the cost-of-living crisis, we share the cold-busting methods to try. 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