At least 3,700 lives were lost, and millions were displaced in 2024 due to extreme weather events intensified by climate change, according to a report by World Weather Attribution (WWA) and Climate Central. Heatwaves, driven by human-caused global warming, emerged as the deadliest consequence of the climate crisis, with the average person experiencing six additional weeks of dangerously hot days.
According to the report, the situation was even grimmer in Caribbean and Pacific-island nations as residents endured about 150 extra days of high-risk temperatures, amounting to nearly half the year.
Researchers revealed that globally, 41 extra days of dangerous heat occurred in 2024 due to human-caused warming, with Indonesia, Singapore, and parts of Central America bearing the brunt with 122 additional hot days. In the Middle East, Saudi Arabia faced 70 more sweltering days, while Brazil and Bangladesh each endured 50 extra days of searing temperatures. Even traditionally temperate regions like Spain and Norway experienced an added month of high temperatures.
Dr. Friederike Otto of Imperial College London, co-lead of WWA, described the year’s impacts as “never clearer or more devastating,” emphasizing that fossil fuel emissions continue to drive the climate crisis. “The floods in Spain, hurricanes in the US, drought in the Amazon, and floods across Africa are just a few examples. We know exactly what we need to do to stop things from getting worse: stop burning fossil fuels,” said Otto.
The report highlighted that five billion people—almost two-thirds of the global population—were exposed to elevated temperatures made at least twice as likely by global warming on 21 July, one of the year’s hottest days. Hurricanes Beryl and Milton, both reaching Category 5 intensity, were identified as storms that would not have achieved such destructive power without the influence of climate change, according to Kristina Dahl, vice-president for science at Climate Central.
Extreme weather events like the floods in Sudan, Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, and Chad were among the deadliest, claiming at least 2,000 lives and displacing millions. The extraordinary sequence of six typhoons in the Philippines within 30 days, which affected 13 million people, was also made more likely and severe by global heating. El Niño, known for its role in triggering heatwaves and weak monsoons, played a significant role early in the year. However, the report underscored that climate change’s impact increasingly outweighs natural phenomena, fueling more destructive storms, droughts, and floods.
WWA and Climate Central attributed 2024’s staggering death toll and displacement to the cumulative effect of decades of fossil fuel burning. Dangerous heatwaves have become a “new normal” for many regions, with some areas expected to face even harsher conditions if global temperatures rise by 2°C, which could happen as early as the 2040s or 2050s.
Daniel Gilford, a Climate Central scientist, emphasized how global warming is exacerbating health risks. “Almost everywhere on Earth, daily temperatures hot enough to threaten human health have become more common because of climate change,” he said. The report also criticized the lack of real-time monitoring of heat-related deaths, calling current data a “very gross underestimate” that fails to account for millions of unrecorded fatalities over recent decades.
Despite the grim outlook, experts stressed that solutions are within reach. “We do have the knowledge and technology to move away from fossil fuels, towards renewable energies, lower demand, and halt deforestation,” said Otto. However, she warned against relying solely on speculative technologies like carbon dioxide removal, stating, “They will not work without doing everything else first.”
Julie Arrighi, programs director at the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, called for urgent global action in 2025 to accelerate climate adaptation and resilience, especially in developing nations. She highlighted the importance of better early warning systems, which have already proven effective in saving lives. “Another devastating year of extreme weather has shown that we are not well prepared for life at [the current level] of warming,” she said.
As 2024 is forecasted to be the hottest year on record, with unprecedented carbon emissions, scientists insist on the need for an immediate end to coal, oil, and gas burning. Otto concluded, “The solutions have been in front of us for years. In 2025, every country needs to step up efforts to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy and prepare for extreme weather.”
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