2024 is on track to be the hottest year on record

2023 was . Last year is on its way out and has caused more problems in the past year than just rising thermometers.

(WWA) released its annual “extreme weather” report detailing how a record 34.34°F increase in human-caused temperatures over last year has caused “relentless heatwaves, droughts, 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 “displaced millions.”

The report recorded a total of 219 events from 2024 that met the “triggering criteria” for identifying impactful weather events. Many of the events were influenced by the natural climate pattern known as El Niño (which only occurs… under the effects of climate change) but WWA studies “found that climate change played a larger role than El Niño in fueling these events, including historic drought in the Amazon.”

Climate change has added an additional 41 days of dangerous heat on average, and has led to unprecedented rainfall and flooding around the world. A study of 16 floods found that all but one were caused by warming atmospheres that retained more moisture, resulting in heavier rainfall. These weather conditions can also fuel larger, more deadly hurricanes and tornadoes like Hurricane Helen, a Category 4 hurricane that struck America in September. North Carolina It is estimated that Helen caused $53.8 billion in damage in her state alone.

Two of the world’s most important ecosystems will also be hit hard by climate change in 2024, according to the WWA report. The Amazon rainforest and Pantanal wetlands, the world’s largest tropical wetlands, have seen severe droughts and wildfires causing “tremendous biodiversity loss” in the past year.

Both areas are important for maintaining the strength of Earth’s ecosystems, climates, and economies. It removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis and releases water into the atmosphere, which helps control climate and circulate ocean currents. It houses tens of thousands of wildlife species, provides much-needed flood control in the region and creates global economic activity for livestock farming and soybean production, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

The WWA report sets out some critical resolutions for 2025 to combat the growing impact of climate change. The report calls for a “faster transition” away from fossil fuel use, improved early warning systems for extreme weather events, greater focus on reporting heat-related deaths, and funding for developing countries and regions most affected by the effects of climate change.