Have you ever wondered if the Earth could get even hotter, releasing unlivable extreme heat? Unfortunately, it seems we are only just beginning to see the beginning of a phenomenon worrying. In the 2024our planet is breaking heat records like never before. 15 national temperature records have already been broken, and 130 monthly records have been set in various countries since the beginning of the year. These numbers impressive, collected by climatologist Maximiliano Herrera, show a world grappling with unprecedented heat waves.
A world on fire
The temperatures highest were recorded mainly in tropical regions, where heat records have been broken every day for 15 consecutive months. Egypt hit an incredible high of 50.9°C, while Chad equaled its record of 48°C. Mexico, Costa Rica, Laos, Ghana and Cambodia also saw their highest temperatures matched or surpassed this year. Incredibly, the Cocos Islands, near Australia, hit its all-time high of 32.8°C twice this year, once in February and again in April.
Extreme heat? An uncertain future
It is no surprise, then, that July was the hottest month on record, followed by a string of record-breaking months that has lasted since June last year. Scientists, including those at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the United States Unitedwarn that 2024 could be the hottest year on record, which would mark a grim first after last year.
The summer heat waves that they have hit cities around the world, killing hundreds, if not thousands, of people. Scientists fear that if temperatures continue to rise, extreme weather could make large areas of the planet uninhabitable, forcing billions of people to move.
This recent record heat wave has increased attention on the problem. However, even if this record-breaking streak ends, “we will inevitably see new records being broken as the climate continues to warm,” he said. Charles Good Timedirector of the European Union’s Copernicus climate change service. “This is inevitable unless we stop adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere and oceans.”
Until When this will not happen, warns Herrera, the warnings weather forecast extremes could save lives in an increasingly hot climate.
The planet is sending us signals unmistakable: Climate change is accelerating, and the heat records that continue to fall are proof of that. It’s time to act, reduce emissions, and prepare for a future that could be much hotter than we ever imagined.
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