From the fragile archipelago of Mayotte to the powerful Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, from prosperous European metropolises to overcrowded African slums, no region was spared in 2024 from natural disasters, nearly all of which were exacerbated by climate change. As the hottest year ever recorded, 2024 saw temperature records broken both in the air and on the ocean’s surface, fueling cyclones, heatwaves, and other extreme weather events worldwide.
According to the World Weather Attribution (WWA) network, a leading authority on analyzing climate change’s impact on natural disasters, nearly all major catastrophes studied over the past 12 months were worsened by greenhouse gas emissions. « The impacts of fossil fuel-driven warming have never been clearer or more devastating than in 2024. We are living in a dangerous new era, » said Friederike Otto, a climatologist and WWA lead.
Heatwaves
The deadly threat of heatwaves was starkly evident in June when over 1,300 Muslim pilgrims died during the Hajj in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, with temperatures reaching 51.8°C. No continent was spared from extreme heat, earning the nickname « silent killer » as it claimed victims in Thailand, India, and the United States.
In Mexico, a heatwave was so intense that howler monkeys fell dead from trees, while in Pakistan, millions of children were kept indoors as temperatures exceeded 50°C. Greece faced an early heatwave with temperatures above 40°C in June, which closed the Acropolis and fueled wildfires, marking the start of Europe’s hottest summer ever.
Floods
Warmer oceans lead to increased evaporation, and hotter air holds more moisture (up to 7% more per 1°C), resulting in torrential rains. In April, the United Arab Emirates received two years’ worth of rain in a single day, flooding vast areas and paralyzing Dubai’s airport.
In Kenya, the country barely emerged from an extreme drought before enduring its worst floods in decades. In West and Central Africa, historic floods left over 1,500 dead and required humanitarian aid for four million people, while Europe—particularly Spain—also suffered devastating floods.
Other countries, including Afghanistan, Russia, Brazil, China, Nepal, Uganda, India, Somalia, Pakistan, Burundi, and the United States, experienced severe flooding during the year.
Cyclones
Warmer ocean surfaces fueled tropical cyclones, intensifying destructive winds as they made landfall. Major hurricanes such as Milton, Beryl, and Helene wreaked havoc in the United States and the Caribbean during a cyclone season that exceeded average activity.
In November alone, the Philippines faced six major storms, just two months after Typhoon Yagi devastated Southeast Asia. Cyclone Chido, which hit Mayotte in December, was found to have been significantly intensified by climate change in preliminary studies.
Droughts and Wildfires
While some regions became wetter, others grew drier under climate change. Severe drought hit parts of the Americas, sparking massive wildfires in the western United States, Canada, and even some areas of the Amazon rainforest, one of the world’s wettest regions.
In southern Africa, successive months of drought left 26 million people at risk of hunger by December, according to the World Food Programme.
Economic and Human Toll
Extreme weather events claimed thousands of lives in 2024 and impoverished countless more. Economically, natural disasters caused $310 billion in global losses, according to Swiss Re, an insurance group.
By November 1, the United States recorded 24 weather disasters costing over $1 billion each since the start of the year. Brazil’s agricultural sector suffered $2.7 billion in losses from drought between June and August. Meanwhile, global wine production, battered by erratic weather, fell to its lowest levels since 1961, according to an international trade organization.
