Last year’s record temperatures pushed the global water cycle to “new climate extremes,” according to the Global Water Monitor 2024 report. The document, produced by an international consortium led by researchers at the Australian National University, says that climate anomalies are causing devastating floods and droughts that causing more than 8,700 deaths, 40 million people displaced, and economic losses exceeding $550 billion. The report was carried out by an international team and led by ANU professor Albert van Dijk. It shows that 2024 is the warmest year to date for nearly 4 billion people in 111 countries, and that the air temperature on the Earth’s surface is 1.2 degrees Celsius higher than that documented at the beginning of the century and 2.2 degrees Celsius higher than the beginning. Industrial Revolution.Van Dijk asserts that water systems around the world are affected. “From historic droughts to catastrophic floods, these severe climate variations affect lives, livelihoods, and entire ecosystems. Water is the most important resource, and extreme conditions are among the biggest threats we face,” he said. and frequency, soil moisture, and flooding. For example, the highest monthly rainfall totals were achieved 27 percent more often in 2024 than at the beginning of the century, while daily rainfall records were achieved 52 percent more often. The lowest record is 38 percent more frequent, so we see worse extremes on both sides, “said Van Dijk. The research states that, as a result, the sea surface temperature is rising, increasing tropical cyclones and droughts in the Amazon basin and southern Africa. . Global warming favors the formation of slower storms in Europe, Asia, and Brazil, causing some areas – such as Valencia in Spain – to very high levels of rain. Flash floods spread in Afghanistan and Pakistan, while the level rises in the Yangtze River and Pearl in southern China destroyed rice crops. Millions of tons of rice were wiped out. In the Amazon basin, forest fires triggered by hot and dry weather destroyed more than 52,000 square kilometers in September, releasing huge amounts of greenhouse gases. Dijk. shipping routes, and disrupting hydroelectric power plants in some areas. “We need to prepare and adapt to more severe extreme events. This may mean using stronger flood defenses, developing new food production systems and water supply networks that are more drought-resistant,” said Van Dijk. end of the century, but the World Meteorological Organization has pointed out that current efforts are not enough. The WMO estimates that there is an 80 percent chance that average global temperatures will exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels again in at least one of the next five years. These projections suggest that humanity is far from achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement and raise new concerns about the progress of climate change. Securing financial resources is another challenge. The United Nations Environment Program estimates that the funding gap for climate change adaptation is between $194 billion and $366 billion annually. António Guterres, the secretary general of the United Nations, has said that “we are walking on a planetary tightrope. Either leaders close the emissions gap or we face a climate disaster, the poorest and most vulnerable to suffer. The countdown to action has begun .
Global Warming Is Wreaking havoc on the Planet’s Water Cycle
