A year of extreme weather that challenged billions of people

Climate change has brought record heat this year, and with it, extreme weather, from hurricanes to month-long droughts.

This year is expected to be the hottest on record, with new research showing that people around the world have experienced 41 more days of dangerously hot weather due to climate change.

Researchers from the World Weather Attribution (WWA) group at Imperial College and the Central Climate Center said the study showed “we are living in a dangerous new era”.

From Brazil to Indonesia, we look back at the climate events that will affect the lives of billions of people in 2024.

It was a hot year – temperature records were repeatedly broken on land and in the sea.

In April, dozens of countries, from Lebanon in the west to Cambodia in the east, were hit by a prolonged heat wave, putting them at risk of dehydration and heat stroke.

But Julie Arrighi, director of climate programs at the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said the impacts are not being felt equally.

“Young people and people over 65, especially those with pre-existing health conditions (are at risk) – they are physiologically less able to cope with extreme heat,” she said.

She said people in conflict situations were also disproportionately affected by housing situations, including living in temporary shelters that could increase heat, or disrupted water systems.

Studies have shown that the population can adapt to higher temperatures over time, but even allowing for this, WWA and Climate Central scientists estimate that in 2024 the world’s population will experience 41 extra days of dangerously hot weather – compared to a world without climate change.

Dr Friederike Otto, head of WWA and senior lecturer in climate science at Imperial College London, said: “The impact of fossil fuel-based warming has never been more evident and devastating than in 2024.

“We are living in a dangerous new era – extreme weather is causing unrelenting suffering.”

Regional heat has intensified in the Amazon region a natural climate phenomenon called El Niñobut researchers from WWA and Climate Central said climate change remains a driving force.

Rainfall has also decreased in parts of South America in conjunction with rising temperatures. This was reported by officials in Colombia that the level of the Amazon River has dropped by 90%, greatly affecting energy supplies, crop yields, and leading to forest fires.

Nearly half a million children are estimated to have been affected by school closures in Brazil and Colombia due to a lack of drinking water, according to UNICEF.

The Amazon River is also an important lifeline for the rainforest of the same name, supporting thousands of species and supporting the world’s efforts to combat climate change.

“We fear that (climate change) could irreversibly push the forest to a drier state, leading to reduced moisture flow and carbon sequestration, as well as loss of biodiversity,” said Dr. Regina Rodríguez, professor of physical oceanography and climate at the Federal University. Santa Catarina in Brazil.

“All of these important processes are important not only locally and regionally, but globally to sustain life as we know it,” she said.

While some suffer from a lack of rain, others have too much.

The Philippines experienced a record six typhoons in just 30 days in October and November — after six months of storms. The country is one of the most vulnerable to these tropical storms due to its location near warm ocean waters.

Landslides and floods caused by storms this season have killed more than 1,200 people across Southeast Asia.

There is currently no evidence that climate change is increasing the number of typhoons, hurricanes or cyclones (the same phenomenon but called differently around the world), although research suggests that it may increase their intensity.

But an assessment of the season by WWA scientists concluded that the record ocean temperatures that occurred in 2024 “facilitated” such storms, and that those temperatures have increased because of climate change.

Dr. Zach Zobel, a research scientist at the Woodwell Center for Climate Research who was not involved in the study, supported the WWA’s approach, but added, “(This season) didn’t tell us anything we didn’t already know was coming in 1.3 -1 .5C (warmer).

“Scientists have been warning that these extreme events are becoming more frequent for years, if not decades,” he said.

This year, even the richest countries could not fully protect themselves from extreme weather. According to research by Christian Aid, the US experienced two back-to-back hurricanes – first Hurricane Helena and then Hurricane Milton – which killed more than 260 people and caused $115bn (£92bn) in damage.

Scientists predicted that “emergency” season due to increased ocean temperatures in the Atlantic causing hurricanes.

But while Beryl became the Atlantic’s earliest Category 5 hurricane on July 2, there was a mid-season lull before Helen.

Dr Otto told the BBC that normally large storms can remove heat from the ocean, preventing new hurricanes from forming for some time, but the qualitative evidence suggests that “because the entire upper ocean was extremely hot, this effect did not occur.” .

She added that WWA plans to analyze this further in the future.

Floods in Sudan and Nigeria in August and September showed that extreme weather can be exacerbated by poor infrastructure.

Heavy rains begin in July caused massive flooding that led to the collapse of several dams, killing dozens of people and forcing thousands to flee their homes.

A report by WWA and Climate Central notes that these heavy rains have become common due to human-induced warming and are expected to occur every three to 10 years on average.

Julie Arrighi of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Climate Center said: “Our research continues to show the need to improve preparedness for extreme weather to reduce casualties and damage.

“We are ill-prepared to live with 1.3-1.5°C warming.”