June 2024: Deadly Heatwaves, Floods Spark Global Urgency For Climate Action

In June, the world experienced a worrying increase in climate impacts, highlighting the need for immediate global action. A deadly heatwave during Saudi Arabia's Hajj pilgrimage led to the loss of around 1,300 lives. This was made worse by temperatures rising 2.5°C (4.5 F) due to human-induced climate change, as reported by European scientists.

The tragedy at Hajj occurred alongside a record-breaking streak of global temperatures, with each of the past 12 months being the warmest on record. These heatwaves claimed hundreds of lives across continents, highlighting the increasingly dire consequences of rising global temperatures.

Additionally, floods wreaked havoc in Bangladesh, displacing millions of people. As nations grapple with unprecedented climate challenges, urgent discussions on adaptation and emissions reduction have taken centre stage globally.

Climate Change Boosted Deadly Saudi Hajj Heat by 2.5°C, 1,300 Die

The heatwave in Saudi Arabia blamed for the deaths of 1,300 people on the Haj pilgrimage this month was made worse by climate change, a team of European scientists said. Temperatures along the route from June 16 to 18 reached 47 degrees Celsius (117 degrees Fahrenheit) at times and exceeded 51.8 C at Mecca's Great Mosque. The heat would have been approximately 2.5 C (4.5 F) cooler without the influence of human-caused climate change, according to a weather attribution analysis by ClimaMeter. Read More

World Hits Streak Of Record Temperatures As UN Warns Of 'Climate Hell'

Each of the past 12 months ranked as the warmest on record in year-on-year comparisons, the EU's climate change monitoring service said, as U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres called for urgent action to avert "climate hell." The average global temperature for the 12-month period to the end of May was 1.63 degrees Celsius (2.9 degrees Fahrenheit) above the pre-industrial average - making it the warmest such period since record-keeping began in 1940, the Copernicus Climate Change Service said. Read More

Floods Ravage Parts Of Bangladesh, Strand Over 2 Million People

Monsoon rains and upstream river water from India have caused widespread flooding in northeastern Bangladesh, stranding more than 2 million people, and the situation could worsen, officials said. The U.N. children's agency UNICEF said trapped residents in the region, including more than 772,000 children, were in urgent need of assistance. The Bangladesh Meteorological Department forecasts further heavy rainfall in the next few days that could exacerbate the flooding and cause landslides in hilly areas. Read More

Extreme Heat Kills Hundreds, Millions More Sweltering Worldwide

Deadly heatwaves are scorching cities on four continents as the Northern Hemisphere marks the first day of summer, a sign that climate change may again help to fuel record-breaking heat that could surpass last summer as the warmest in 2,000 years. Record temperatures in recent days are suspected to have caused hundreds, if not thousands, of deaths across Asia and Europe. Read More

Fossil Fuel Use, Emissions Hit Records In 2023, Report Says

Global fossil fuel consumption and energy emissions hit all-time highs in 2023, even as fossil fuels' share of the global energy mix decreased slightly on the year, the industry's Statistical Review of World Energy report said on Thursday. Growing demand for fossil fuel, despite the scaling up of renewables, could be a sticking point for the transition to lower carbon energy as global temperature increases reach 1.5C (2.7F), the threshold beyond which scientists say impacts such as temperature rise, drought, and flooding will become more extreme. Read More

India Reports Over 40,000 Suspected Heatstroke Cases Over Summer

India recorded more than 40,000 suspected heatstroke cases this summer as a prolonged heatwave killed more than 100 people across the country, while parts of its northeast grappled with floods from heavy rain, authorities said. Billions across Asia are grappling with extreme heat this summer, a trend scientists say has been worsened by human-driven climate change, with temperatures in north India soaring to almost 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) in one of the longest heatwave spells recorded. Read More

Global Carbon Removal Market Could Reach $100 Bn Per Year: Report

The global market for carbon dioxide (CO2) removal credits could reach up to $100 billion a year between 2030 and 2035 from $2.7 billion last year if barriers to its growth are addressed, a report by management consultancy Oliver Wyman said on Thursday. Worsening climate change and inadequate efforts to cut emissions have led U.N. scientists to estimate billions of tons of carbon must be removed from the atmosphere annually by using nature or technology to meet global climate goals. Read More

Over 800 Coal Plants Could Be Profitably Decommissioned: Research Group

More than 800 coal-fired power plants in emerging countries could be decommissioned and profitably replaced by cleaner solar energy starting from the end of the decade, research showed. Though only a tenth of existing coal plants are scheduled to shut down by 2030, more could close if efforts are made to identify opportunities, the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) said. Around 15.5 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide are generated annually by 2,000 gigawatts of coal power. Read More

Solar Can Provide 20% Of World Electricity: Thinktank

The world has enough solar power capacity to generate a fifth of its midday peak electricity needs on the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere, up from 16% last year, a report by think tank Ember showed. Solar power is currently the fastest-growing source of electricity due to falling technology costs, and is expected to become the biggest source of electricity before 2050, some researchers have said. Read More

Set More Ambitious Climate Goals: Mission 2025 Group

Some of the world's biggest companies, finance houses, cities, and regions have joined forces to urge governments to increase their climate ambition ahead of a February 2025 deadline to deliver their emission-cutting plans to the United Nations. Corporate backers include consumer goods company Unilever, the world's biggest furniture retailer, IKEA, and British sustainable energy company Octopus EV. Mission 2025 aims to reassure political leaders they have powerful support for bold action. Read More

Olympics-to Beat The Heat, Athletes Bring Cool Tech To Paris 2024

As the Paris Olympics fast approaches, summertime temperatures will only get hotter, giving athletes additional challenges as they seek to bring home medals. There will be no air conditioning in the athletes' rooms at Paris 2024, which has pledged to host the greenest-ever Games, meaning they will have to pay more attention to their body temperatures as they train, recover and compete. Read More

G7 Vows To Drop Fossil Fuels Faster, But Activists Unimpressed

Leaders of the Group of Seven developed democracies will commit to accelerating their transition away from fossil fuels during this decade, according to a draft of a statement to be issued at the end of their summit in Italy. Climate activists were critical, saying the summit had produced a lack of concrete commitments and most pledges had already been agreed at previous lower-level meetings. Read More

This month has clearly shown the increasing impacts of climate change. As nations face these unprecedented challenges, urgent global adaptation and emissions reduction action is crucial to minimize further harm and protect vulnerable communities worldwide.