Climate change added 41 days of extreme heat in 2024, hottest year on record
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The planet experienced an average of 41 additional days of extreme heat in 2024 due to climate change.
According to a report released Friday by the European climate agency Copernicus, this year is set to become the warmest on record, marking the first time global temperatures have exceeded the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold above pre-industrial levels.
A joint analysis by World Weather Attribution (WWA) and Climate Central revealed that small island nations were disproportionately affected, enduring over 130 additional days of extreme heat. Globally, the report highlighted 219 extreme weather events, with 29 studied in depth. Of these, climate change was linked to at least 3,700 deaths and the displacement of millions across 26 events.
The deadliest disaster of the year occurred in parts of Africa, where catastrophic floods in Sudan, Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, and Chad claimed at least 2,000 lives. The study cautioned that if global warming reaches 2 degrees Celsius — possibly as soon as the 2040s or 2050s — similar heavy rainfall events could become an annual occurrence in these regions.
Friederike Otto, lead author of the WWA report and a senior climate science lecturer at Imperial College London, emphasized the urgency of addressing fossil fuel emissions. “The impacts of fossil fuel warming have never been clearer or more devastating than in 2024. Transitioning away from fossil fuels must be our top resolution for 2025 to create a safer and more stable world,” Otto said.
Copernicus projects that 2024 will end with a global average temperature at least 1.55 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. While the 1.5-degree Celsius limit specified in the Paris Agreement refers to long-term warming over decades, experts believe the world is entering a phase where annual temperatures will consistently exceed this benchmark.
The average global temperature has already risen by 1.3 degrees Celsius since the late 19th century, primarily driven by an increase in greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warns that to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, global emissions must peak by 2025 and decline by 43 percent by 2030 and 57 percent by 2035, relative to 2019 levels.
Despite these warnings, the latest United Nations data indicates that current policies are insufficient, putting the planet on track for a 3-degree Celsius temperature rise by 2100. Even full implementation of national climate plans would achieve only a 5.9 percent emissions reduction by 2030.
Fossil fuels, which account for over 75 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, remain the largest contributor to climate change. However, transitioning to clean energy remains a significant challenge, particularly for developing nations reliant on fossil fuels for jobs and affordable energy. Barriers such as inadequate funding, weak infrastructure, and limited technological expertise exacerbate the difficulty.
Experts warn that unless decisive action is taken, the global temperature rise will continue to drive devastating weather events, threatening lives, livelihoods, and ecosystems worldwide.