The UN reports a “decade of deadly heat,” with 2024 marking the hottest year recorded. UN Secretary-General António Guterres emphasizes the need for immediate action against climate change. The WMO identifies a significant rise in extreme weather events, highlighting the importance of international cooperation to tackle these increasing heat risks and prevent further climate breakdown.
The United Nations has declared that the world has experienced a “decade of deadly heat,” with the year 2024 marking a culmination of unprecedented temperatures. In his annual New Year’s address, Secretary-General António Guterres highlighted that the ten hottest years recorded have all occurred within the last decade. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) will formally announce the temperature statistics in January, forecasting that the previous year is anticipated to be the hottest on record, spurred by human activity and contributing to increasingly severe weather patterns.
Guterres stated the urgency of the situation, remarking, “This is climate breakdown, in real time,” emphasizing the imperative for countries to significantly reduce emissions and commit to a renewable future by 2025. Celeste Saulo, the WMO Secretary-General, noted that every degree of temperature rise exacerbates climate extremes and that this year has been marked by unprecedented rainfall, severe flooding, and catastrophic loss of life worldwide. Intense tropical storms and extreme heat conditions have plagued numerous regions, highlighting the profound impact of climate change.
The WMO reported that a recent study found that climate change exacerbated 26 of the 29 extreme weather events analyzed in 2024, with significant casualties and displacements resulting. In total, climate change intensified conditions that produced 41 additional days of hazardous heat in the past year. The WMO underscored the necessity for cooperative international efforts to mitigate the risks associated with escalating heat events and the dire implications of climate change on global safety and wellbeing.
The statement from the United Nations regarding the “decade of deadly heat” emerges amid growing global concerns about climate change and its consequences. The acknowledgment that 2024 represents the hottest year on record aligns with an increasing trend of extreme weather events attributed to human-induced climate change. As evidenced by the UN secretary-general’s remarks and studies from the WMO, the urgency to address these challenges is paramount, with calls for immediate action to curtail emissions and foster renewable energy initiatives to protect vulnerable communities worldwide.
In summary, the UN’s declaration of a “decade of deadly heat” underscores the alarming trend of rising global temperatures and its correlation with extreme weather events. With 2024 officially marking the culmination of the hottest decade on record, the message is clear: urgent actions must be taken to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and transition to renewable energies. The growing climate crisis necessitates international collaboration to effectively address the health and environmental challenges posed by rising temperatures.
Original Source: www.theguardian.com
