Extreme weather events soared to dangerous new levels in 2024, driven by record-breaking global temperatures.
While we start the year shivering with an icy blast, 2024 will go down as one marked by severe heatwaves, droughts, wildfires, storms and floods – which killed thousands and displaced millions, exposing the deadly reality of 1.3°C of human-induced warming.
New analysis by not-for-profit scientists at Climate Central found climate change added 41 extra days of dangerous heat globally in 2024.
Small island nations and developing states were hit hardest. These heat days intensified health risks, with many impacts still underreported.
Climate change played a bigger role than El Niño in many disasters, including the Amazon’s historic drought. The Amazon, a key global carbon sink, suffered catastrophic biodiversity loss due to drought and wildfires.
Floods ravaged countries worldwide, from Sudan to Brazil, Dubai to the Southern Appalachians. Of the 16 floods studied by Climate Central, 15 were linked to climate change-fuelled rainfall. Shortfalls in evacuation plans and flood defences worsened the human toll.
Oceans absorbed the heat too, fuelling destructive storms like Hurricane Helene and Typhoon Gaemi.
Climate studies found storms now have stronger winds and more rainfall due to global warming.
Atlantic hurricanes between 2019 and 2023 were one category stronger than they would have been without human activity.
Climate Central say such disasters show the growing urgency of reducing emissions and transitioning away from fossil fuels.
