Belgium has become warmer over the years, as evidenced by the average temperature in Uccle which, in 2021, was 2.7 °C higher than in the years between 1850 and 1899, according to Statistiek Vlaanderen, the statistical office for Flanders.
“The 24 warmest years since measurements began in Uccle (in 1833) all fall within the 1989-2021 period,” Statistiek Vlaanderen said on Tuesday.
The year 2021 was one of the warmest years, with an annual average temperature of 10.7°C. However, 2020 holds the absolute record, with an annual average of 12.2°C, followed by 2014 and 2018, both of which had an annual average of 11.9°C, according to the website of the Flemish Environmental Agency, VMM.
The 2015 Paris climate agreement aims to keep the global temperature rise well below 2°C. The objective is to limit it to 1.5°C compared to the pre-industrial era.
Statistiek Vlaanderen notes that the average annual temperatures of the 1750-1799 pre-industrial period are very similar to the temperatures registered in 1850-1899, for which measurements are available for many more locations, so 1850-1899 is used as the reference period for temperature trend analyses.
Between 1850 and 2021, the average global surface temperature increased by 1.1°C, but Europe’s land surface temperature has increased more than the global average.
In Europe, the average surface temperature has risen by almost 2°C between 1850 and 2021, and Belgium seems to be warming up even faster than the European and global averages.
