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World Weather Attribution
Climate Crisis: Indonesia Faces An Extra 122 Days Of Heat In 2024
Tuesday, 31 Dec 2024
The latest report from World Weather Attribution (WWA) and Climate Central reveals that the climate crisis is causing longer heatwaves in 2024. Heatwaves are periods when temperatures rise significantly in a short time, exceeding normal summer levels. Researchers noted that nearly half of the countries worldwide faced health-risking heat for two months. Residents in Caribbean and Pacific island nations were the most affected by these dangerous temperatures. "Globally, days with dangerously high temperatures for human health are becoming more common due to climate change," said Climate Central researcher Joseph Giguere, as reported by The Guardian on December 27, 2024. They observed that the UK, the US, and Australia also experienced an extra three weeks of high temperatures due to fossil fuel pollution. In November 2024, the climate crisis triggered dozens of heatwaves that were previously thought to be impossible.
Researchers identified days with dangerous heat by calculating the temperature threshold based on the top 10 percent from 1991-2020. They then compared the number of days exceeding this threshold in 2024 with a scenario without global warming. The results showed that, on average, people were exposed to dangerous heat for 41 days. The research team indicated that Indonesia, Singapore, and Central America experienced an additional 122 days of dangerous heat.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia faced 70 extra hot days, leading to the deaths of 1,300 pilgrims due to extreme heat this year. Brazil and Bangladesh saw about 50 additional hot days. Additionally, Spain, Norway, and Balkan countries experienced an extra month of high temperatures. Kristina Dahl, Vice President of Science at Climate Central, stated that storms are also becoming stronger due to the climate crisis in 2024.
Our analysis indicates that this year's Atlantic storms have intensified due to climate change. Storms Beryl and Milton, both category five storms, would not have reached such levels without climate change, according to Dahl. Stopping the Sources of the Climate Crisis Researchers predict that 2024 will be the hottest year on record. Therefore, efforts to tackle the sources of the climate crisis must focus on reducing emissions and halting the burning of coal, oil, and gas. They also suggest that countless people may have died from global warming in recent decades. "Floods in Spain, storms in the U.S., droughts in the Amazon, and floods across Africa are just a few examples. We know exactly what we need to do to prevent things from getting worse: stop burning fossil fuels," said WWA leader Friederike Otto. She emphasized the need for better early warning systems to report or prevent deaths from heat waves, as most countries do not report on heat waves. Otto noted that the impact is that the death toll from heat waves is likely higher than estimated. "If we cannot communicate and convince others that many people are dying, it will be much harder to raise awareness that heat waves are the deadliest extreme events," she stated.