A year of extreme weather that caused billions

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

This year is set to be the hottest on record, and new research shows that people around the world have experienced an extra 41 days of dangerous heat due to climate change.

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

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

It was a year of heat – 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, experienced a prolonged heat wave, carrying the risk of dehydration and heatstroke.

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

“Young people and those 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 settings also suffer disproportionately because of their housing situations, including living in temporary shelters that can increase heat, or a disrupted water system.

Research shows that populations may adapt to higher temperatures over time, but even allowing for this, WWA and Climate Central scientists estimate that in 2024 the world's population experienced 41 extra days of dangerous heat – 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 warming impacts of fossil fuels have never been clearer or more devastating than in 2024.

“We live in a dangerous new era – extreme weather causes unrelenting suffering.”

The regional heat wave around the Amazon region has worsened since a natural climate phenomenon called El Niñobut WWA and Climate Central researchers said climate change remains the driving force.

Along with the warmer temperatures, precipitation also decreased in parts of South America. Officials in Colombia said that levels in the Amazon River have been reduced by 90%, seriously affecting power supplies, crop yields and leading to forest fires.

Nearly half a million children are estimated to have been affected as schools in Brazil and Colombia were closed 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 – which supports thousands of species and supports the world's efforts to tackle climate change.

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

“All of these critical processes are essential 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 get too much of it.

The Philippines experienced a record six typhoons in just 30 days in October and November – this came 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 triggered by storms this season have killed more than 1,200 people in Southeast Asia.

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

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

Dr. Zach Zobel, an associate 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 coming in 1.3 — 1.5C (warmer) world.

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

Even the wealthiest nations have not been able to fully protect themselves from this year's extreme weather. The US suffered two back-to-back hurricanes – first Hurricane Helena and then Hurricane Milton – which left more than 260 dead and caused $115bn (£92bn) worth of damage, according to research by Christian Aid.

Scientists predicted “extraordinary” season due to high ocean temperatures in the Atlantic that fuel hurricanes.

But while Hurricane Beryl was the earliest Category Five Atlantic hurricane on record on July 2, there was a mid-season lull before Hurricane Helen hit.

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

She added that WWA is looking to undertake further analysis of this in the future.

Flooding in Sudan and Nigeria in August and September showed that extreme weather can be exacerbated by poorly maintained infrastructure.

Heavy rains begin in July brought widespread flooding that led to several dam collapses, killing dozens of people and forcing thousands from their homes.

The WWA and Climate Central report estimates that these heavy rainfall episodes have become commonplace due to human-caused warming and are expected to occur on average every three to 10 years.

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 loss of life and damage.

“We are not well prepared to live with 1.3-1.5°C warming.”