Why 2024 could be the hottest year on record?

Prolonged widespread heat

Many places around the world are entering a hot summer (Photo: Getty).

According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, many places across the country are recording temperatures rising above 39 degrees Celsius, exceeding the threshold of severe heat.

Specifically in Hanoi, the highest temperature observed on April 27 reached 40 degrees Celsius, and is forecast to last until April 30.

Severe heat waves of 38-40 degrees Celsius were also recorded in Son La, Hoa Binh and provinces from Thanh Hoa to Phu Yen. In the Southern region, high temperatures of 35-38 degrees Celsius were recorded for many days, with some places reaching over 39 degrees Celsius.

Around the world, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warns that the El Nino phenomenon combined with climate change could push global temperatures to unprecedented highs.

In South Asia and Southeast Asia, severe heat in some places pushed the heat index above 47 degrees Celsius on April 25-27. A rare case was recorded in Thailand on April 25, when the heat index in the capital Bangkok exceeded 52 degrees Celsius.

In early April, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) also predicted an "abnormally hot" summer in many areas of the US, stretching from the northwest to the southwest.

The combination of heat and little rain could increase the risk of drought and wildfires in some areas.

Earlier in March, scientists from the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service said February was the hottest February in records stretching back to 1940.

There, temperatures rise to a critical 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, with irreversible consequences for the planet.

2024: Forecast of the hottest year and the consequences of the climate crisis

2024 is likely to be the hottest year ever recorded (Photo: Getty).

From NOAA to Copernicus, climate models predict that 2024 is likely to be the hottest year on record, thanks to the “double whammy” of climate change and El Nino, the latter of which is expected to contribute significantly to rising global temperatures.

There, the above-mentioned temperature increases will have serious impacts on weather patterns, ecosystems and human societies, along with the possibility of new extreme weather events and the worsening of climate change-related challenges.

“Life on our planet is clearly under threat,” said William Ripple, an ecologist at Oregon State University, in a recent study.

“Statistical trends reveal alarming patterns, expressed through specific climate-related disaster variables and events.”

On the other hand, Ripple also emphasized that the study found very few positive signs that humanity can combat climate change. Scientists said that humans are pushing the Earth's biosphere systems into a "dangerous and unstable" state.

Specifically, by the end of this century, the study predicts that about one-third to one-half of the world's population (equivalent to 3-6 billion people) could be pushed out of the "habitable zone". This means they could face extreme heat and food shortages.

Scientists also say that humanity is exploiting too much from the Earth, and politicians must urgently fight for policies to address this problem.

Only then will we stand a chance of surviving the long-term challenges of climate change.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/khoa-hoc-cong-nghe/vi-sao-2024-co-the-la-nam-nong-nhat-lich-su-20240428072700880.htm