2024 Marks China’s Hottest Year and Urgent Climate Crisis
In 2024, China experienced its highest recorded temperature at 10.92 degrees Celsius, marking it the warmest year since 1961. Severe weather resulted in numerous deaths, evacuations, and significant economic losses globally, prompting urgent calls for enhanced climate action to meet targets established in the Paris Agreement.
In 2024, data released by China’s Meteorological Administration confirmed that the nation recorded its highest average temperature to date, at 10.92 degrees Celsius (51.66 degrees Fahrenheit). This figure denotes a 1.03 degrees Celsius increase from average temperatures observed historically, marking the year as the warmest since comprehensive records commenced in 1961. The report indicates that all four of the hottest years on record have occurred within the last four years, with all ten of the warmest years since 1961 also transpiring in the 21st century.
Underscoring the alarming trend, 2024 has seen unprecedented seasonal temperatures, with July emerging as the hottest month ever documented. Notably, the United Nations predicted that 2024 would rank as the warmest year globally, largely attributed to climate change and environmental degradation.
The ramifications of this warming are widespread. In China, severe weather events have led to multiple fatalities, extensive evacuations, and catastrophic infrastructure failures, such as the collapse of a southern highway that resulted in 48 deaths. Cities like Guangzhou have reported unusually prolonged warm periods, with temperatures exceeding 22 degrees Celsius (71.6 degrees Fahrenheit) for 240 days—breaking a prior record.
Globally, other countries faced similar catastrophes, including heavy flooding in Spain and Kenya, and various storms that wreaked havoc in the United States and the Philippines. The economic aftermath of these natural disasters has been staggering, with estimated losses reaching $310 billion, according to Swiss Re.
This scenario starkly illustrates the urgent need for stringent climate action. The goals of the Paris Agreement aim to restrict global warming to well below two degrees Celsius, and if feasible, to a ceiling of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Recent data indicates that the mean surface air temperature from January to September in 2024 was already 1.54 degrees Celsius above the average recorded between 1850 and 1900, thereby necessitating increased vigilance and concrete action against climate change.
The growing phenomenon of climate change has resulted in increasingly extreme weather events worldwide, particularly in nations that are significant contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. China, as the leading emitter of such gases, faces the challenge of addressing its environmental impact while striving to meet international climate commitments to peak carbon emissions by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2060. As global temperatures rise, the consequences manifest in severe weather patterns, economic disruption, and human displacement, highlighting the pressing need for comprehensive climate policies.
The data for 2024 reveals alarming temperature trends and emphasizes the dire impacts of global warming. As China experiences record-breaking heat, and faces severe weather leading to widespread casualties and economic losses, the global community must unite to curb greenhouse gas emissions. With projections indicating an increasingly warm world, adhering to international climate goals is critical to mitigate further catastrophic impacts.
Original Source: www.rfi.fr
