Europe is becoming the fastest-warming continent on Earth, with climate change acting as a powerful "risk amplifier" for extreme weather and its consequences, according to Samantha Burgess, deputy director of the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service.

During an interview with China Media Group, Burgess said Europe is warming at twice the global average rate.

"Climate change ultimately is a risk multiplier. Europe is the fastest warming continent, warming at twice the global average rate. Continued global warming or climate change will intensify extreme events, so that means heat waves will continue to get more frequent, more intense, and last longer in a warmer world," she said.

Since May, multiple heatwaves have swept across Europe. Copernicus data show Western Europe recorded its hottest June on record, with countries such as France, Germany, and the United Kingdom breaking or close to breaking their historical high-temperature records for the same period.

The combination of extreme heat and drought has fueled wildfire activity and pushed major rivers such as the Rhine and Danube to extremely low levels in August, severely disrupting shipping traffic.

The impacts of climate change have extended beyond temperature to water resources, ecosystems and economic activity.

"Rising air temperature is only part of the story, so the oceans are also [at] exceptionally high levels. And global ocean heat content has reached record levels which impact sea level rise. Glaciers continue to lose mass, and sea ice remains at historically low levels," Burgess said.

Looking ahead, Burgess warned that the current El Nino phenomenon could push global temperatures even higher.

"2026 is already on track to be within the top three warmest years. The biggest impact of El Nino on global temperatures is the year after the event has peaked. So 2027 is likely to be a record-breaking year," she said.