The year was 2023 . Last year is on track to win, and last year it caused more problems than just the thermometers jumping.
(WWA) released its annual Extreme Weather report, which shows how a record 34.34 Fahrenheit increase in human-caused warming last year caused “relentless heat waves, drought, wildfires, storms and floods.” The WWA estimates that climate change was responsible for at least 3,700 deaths and 26 weather events in 2024 that led to the “displacement of millions of people.”
The report identified a total of 219 events in 2024 that met the “trigger criteria” for identifying influential weather events. Many events were influenced by the natural climate regime known as El Niño (which only lasts influenced by climate change), but WWA research “found that climate change played a larger role than El Niño in fueling these events, including the historic drought in the Amazon.”
Climate change has added an average of 41 extra days of dangerous heat and caused record amounts of rain and flooding around the world. A study of 16 floods found that all but one were caused by a warming atmosphere, which held more moisture, leading to heavier rainfall. These climate conditions can also produce larger and deadlier hurricanes and typhoons, such as Helen, a Category 4 hurricane that struck America in September. North Carolina In her state alone, Helen is estimated to have caused $53.8 billion in damage.
The world's two most important ecosystems are also “highly affected by climate change in 2024,” according to the WWA report. The Amazon rainforest and Pantanal wetlands, the largest tropical wetlands in the world, experienced severe droughts and wildfires last year that led to “huge biodiversity loss.”
Both areas are critical to maintaining the strength of Earth's ecosystems, climate and economy. removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis and releases water into the atmosphere, which helps control climate and circulate ocean currents. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), it is home to tens of thousands of species of wildlife, provides much-needed flood control for the region, and generates global economic activity in cattle ranching and soy production.
The WWA report sets some important resolutions for 2025 to combat the growing impact of climate change. The report calls for a “rapid transition” away from fossil fuels, improved early warning systems for extreme weather events, greater emphasis on reporting heat-related deaths and funding for developing countries and regions hit hardest by the impacts of climate change.