Scorched Earth: How Human Activity Fueled the Hottest Year on Record

In 2024, people experienced 41 extra days of harmful heat due to climate change. Research shows it worsened global weather events and devastated lives. El Niño contributed, but climate change was a bigger factor. Urgent global action is needed to mitigate more frequent extreme weather conditions.

The global climate in 2024 has been brutal, with individuals enduring an average of 41 additional days of hazardous heat traced back to human-driven climate change, according to scientists from World Weather Attribution and Climate Central.

Experts highlight this concerning trend at the year's end, underscoring a cascade of unprecedented climate records that mark 2024 as potentially the hottest year ever. The relentless heat, droughts, and torrential rains afflicted regions from Greece to West Africa and North America.

Researchers linked 26 of 29 major weather events worldwide, claiming at least 3,700 lives, to climate change. These findings, while pending peer-review, stress the urgency for immediate action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and avert further catastrophic climate impacts.

(With inputs from agencies.)