In 2024, people worldwide endured an average of 41 additional days of dangerous heat due to human-caused climate change, leading to worsened extreme weather events across the globe. This revelation comes from a study by World Weather Attribution and Climate Central researchers, highlighting how climate change significantly impacted heatwaves, droughts, cyclones, and heavy rainfall, causing devastation to communities worldwide.
Lead researcher Friederike Otto emphasized the role of climate change in intensifying these events, stating that as long as fossil fuels continue to be burned, the situation will only deteriorate. The scorching temperatures affected various regions, such as Northern California, Death Valley, Mexico, Central America, West Africa, and southern Europe, leading to school closures and health risks. The team of international scientists compared 2024 temperatures to those in a climate change-free world and found that some areas experienced over 150 days of extreme heat.
Furthermore, the study revealed that the poorest countries are disproportionately affected by these extreme weather conditions, with heat-related deaths often going unreported. The researchers stressed the urgency of raising awareness about the deadly impact of heatwaves, as they represent the most fatal extreme weather events and are exacerbated by climate change.
The findings underscore the alarming proximity to the Paris Agreement’s warming limit of 1.5 degrees Celsius, with Earth expected to surpass this threshold soon. Of the 29 extreme weather events examined, 26 showed clear connections to climate change, surpassing the influence of the El Niño phenomenon. Warm ocean waters and rising temperatures fueled destructive storms, contributing to the high human and economic toll of these disasters.
The study serves as a stark warning of the escalating climate crisis and the urgent need for global action to mitigate its impacts and prevent further catastrophic events.
Unseasonably warm temperatures have led to numerous record-breaking downpours. Jennifer Francis, a climate scientist at the Woodwell Climate Research Center in Cape Cod, affirmed the credibility of the research, noting that the science and findings were robust. “Extreme weather events will persist in increasing frequency, intensity, destructiveness, costliness, and fatality unless we can reduce the levels of heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere,” she emphasized.
The United Nations Environment Programme warned in the autumn that a significant rise in climate extremes could be anticipated without prompt intervention, as the amount of planet-warming carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere this year from burning fossil fuels has surpassed that of the previous year. However, Julie Arrighi, director of programmes at the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre and a contributor to the study, highlighted that despite the potential increase in adverse impacts, the deaths and damages resulting from extreme weather phenomena are not inevitable. “Countries can mitigate these impacts by proactively preparing for and adapting to climate change. While the specific challenges faced by individual nations, systems, or regions may differ globally, every country has a role to fulfill,” she underscored.
