In 2024, humanity faced one of its most alarming climate years, marked by extreme weather events that spotlight the urgent need for climate action and disaster preparedness.
Year of Global Climate Crisis: Unprecedented Events Strain Vulnerable Populations
Year of Global Climate Crisis: Unprecedented Events Strain Vulnerable Populations
A detailed report highlights the extreme weather challenges including heatwaves and floods, exacerbated by climate change and affecting millions worldwide.
This year, climate change propelled the planet into an unsettling era marked by extreme weather events that deeply affected millions across the globe. According to research from World Weather Attribution (WWA) and Climate Central, 2024 is set to be the hottest year on record, featuring drastic events like extensive heatwaves, severe flooding, and destructive storms.
June of this year witnessed an enormous spike in dangerous heat, as populations experienced 41 additional days of extreme temperatures than expected in a world free from climate change. Countries from Brazil to the Philippines were particularly hard hit, with millions bearing the brunt of these climate-induced disasters.
In the Amazon region, soaring temperatures, compounded by the El Niño effect, intensified the drying of rivers and led to devastating impacts on agriculture and local biodiversity. Reports indicated that 90% of the Amazon River's water levels dropped, leading to severe shortages in drinking water and school closures for nearly half a million children in Brazil and Colombia. Experts warn that this trend threatens not only local ecosystems but also contributes significantly to global environmental health.
Conversely, Southeast Asia experienced an unusual surge of typhoons, with the Philippines facing six major storms in just 30 days—each fueled by notably warm ocean waters. While the science around climate change's impact on storm frequency remains nuanced, warmer oceans are indeed believed to drive the severity of such weather phenomena.
The United States also encountered significant challenges, as two successive hurricanes wreaked havoc, resulting in over $115 billion in damages and claiming more than 260 lives. Scientists attribute this unprecedented hurricane activity to elevated ocean temperatures, indicating that climate change is increasingly driving such extreme weather patterns.
Lastly, heavy rainfall in parts of Africa and the ongoing impacts of climate change on infrastructure revealed vulnerabilities in areas like Nigeria and Sudan, where flooding and dam failures resulted in extensive homelessness and fatalities.
The ongoing challenges of our climate crisis underscore the pressing need for increased readiness against extreme weather and a reevaluation of global approaches to environmental health and sustainability as the effects of a warming planet become unquestionable.
