As El Niño amplifies the threat of a heat wave in 2024, the call for immediate and substantial climate action intensifies
Prepare for a scorching year ahead as El Niño prepares to turn 2024 into a potential heatwave nightmare, surpassing the record temperatures of 2023.
The United Nations World Meteorological Organization issues a stern warning, urging the world to prepare for the impact of this climate phenomenon that could set new benchmarks for high temperatures.
El Niño, a natural weather pattern linked to rising global temperatures, made its presence felt in mid-2023.
Now, the UN WMO weather and climate agency warns that this typically results in a significant increase in temperature in the year following its appearance. As we move from the cooling La Niña to the warming El Niño in 2023, temperatures have been rising, setting the stage for a potentially even hotter 2024.
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) paints a worrying picture, suggesting a one-in-three chance that 2024 could eclipse 2023 in terms of temperature. Furthermore, there is a staggering 99 percent certainty that 2024 will secure a place among the five hottest years on record. NASA climatologist Gavin Schmidt adds to the apprehension, putting the odds of a warmer or slightly colder year at 50-50.
The year 2023, already on the books as the hottest ever recorded, saw global surface temperatures soar 1.18 degrees Celsius above the 20th century average. This surpassed the previous record, from 2016, by a notable margin of 0.15 degrees Celsius. Areas such as the Arctic, northern North America, central Asia, the North Atlantic, and the eastern tropical Pacific experienced elevated temperatures, indicating the severity of the climate crisis.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres does not mince words and emphasizes that human actions are “burning the Earth.” He sees the year 2023 as a mere glimpse into a potentially catastrophic future if quick action is not taken. With each decade since the 1980s surpassing the previous one in terms of warmth, and with the nine warmest years occurring after 2015, the urgency of addressing climate change is more evident than ever.
As El Niño amplifies the threat of a heat wave in 2024, the call for immediate and substantial climate action intensifies.
The world is on high alert as it grapples with the consequences of a warming planet, underscoring the need for global cooperation to confront the challenges posed by the escalating climate crisis.
