41 extra days of dangerous heat in 2024 due to climate change, warn scientists

By Vishu Adhana
New Delhi [India], December 27 : Climate change-induced extreme weather events have claimed over 3,700 lives, displaced millions and added 41 days of dangerous heat globally in 2024, according to two climate research organisations.
The analysis, When Risks Become Reality: Extreme Weather in 2024 by World Weather Attribution (WWA) and Climate Central, underscores the urgent need for countries to transition away from fossil fuels and bolster preparations for extreme weather events in 2025 and beyond.
"This year has been the clearest and most devastating demonstration of the impacts of fossil fuel warming," said Dr Friederike Otto, lead of WWA and Senior Lecturer in Climate Science at Imperial College London. "Extreme weather killed thousands, displaced millions, and caused unrelenting suffering."
According to the report, Human-induced climate change has added an average of 41 days of dangerous heat worldwide in 2024.
The report revealed that human-caused climate change intensified 26 of the 29 weather events studied, including record-breaking floods, hurricanes, and droughts. These events killed at least 3,700 people and displaced millions.
Extreme rain in Kerala and surrounding areas was one of the 219 extreme weather events studied for the report.
In Africa, floods in countries like Sudan, Nigeria, and Cameroon were the deadliest event, claiming over 2,000 lives and displacing millions. The study noted that similar rainfall events could become annual occurrences if warming reaches 2 degrees celsius, a threshold that may be crossed as early as the 2040's.
Hurricane Helene, which struck six US states, was intensified by climate change, with sea temperatures fueling it made 200 to 500 times more likely. The hurricane left 230 people dead, becoming the second-deadliest mainland US hurricane after Katrina in 2005.
Meanwhile, a historic drought in the Amazon--made 30 times more likely by global warming--threatened to push the forest towards a drier state, jeopardizing its role as a carbon sink and its biodiversity.
"Africa continues to bear the brunt of climate change despite contributing the least emissions," said Joyce Kimutai, Research Associate at the Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London. "In 2025, rich countries must start delivering on their climate finance promises to help Africa cope."
The report found that the additional 41 days of dangerous heat in 2024, defined as temperatures in the top 10% of historical records (1991-2020), exposed millions to heightened health risks.
Scientists warned that without immediate action to reduce fossil fuel emissions, such days would only increase, exacerbating public health threats.
"Almost everywhere on Earth, daily temperatures hot enough to threaten human health have become more common due to climate change," said Joseph Giguere, a researcher at Climate Central.
The report set out four key resolutions for 2025: a faster transition to renewable energy, improved early-warning systems, real-time reporting of heat deaths, and international financial support to help developing nations adapt to climate change.
"We have the knowledge and technology to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy and halt deforestation," Dr Otto emphasized. "The solutions have been in front of us for years. In 2025, every country must step up efforts to protect people from extreme weather."
As 2024 is set to become the hottest year on record, the report's authors called for urgent global cooperation to address the climate crisis and prevent further devastation in the years ahead.