2024 was the hottest year in China: temperatures hit record highs
Kyiv • UNN
In 2024, the average temperature in China reached a record 10.92°C, 1.03°C above normal. The country also experienced devastating floods that led to loss of life and mass evacuations.
The China Meteorological Agency reported that 2024 was the hottest year on record for China. The average national temperature was 1.03 degrees above average, making it "the warmest year since the beginning of full observations in 1961," UNN writes with reference to France24.
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China, the world's largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, also experienced devastating floods last year.
Last year was the warmest on record in China. This is due to a surge in extreme weather caused by climate change.
China is a leading source of greenhouse gases, which scientists believe are causing global warming. However, Beijing has promised that carbon dioxide emissions will peak by 2030 and be brought to net zero by 2060.
The average temperature in the country in 2024 was 10.92 degrees Celsius, 1.03 degrees above average - "the warmest year since full observations began in 1961," the China Meteorological Administration reported.
The previous four years were reportedly the warmest on record. In addition, 10 of the warmest years since 1961 have been in the 21st century.
July was recorded as the hottest month in 2024 in China, followed by August. This fall was also the warmest in the history of observations.
Global warming, caused mainly by the presence of exhaust gases, is not only a rise in temperature, but also the reverse effect of excess heat in the atmosphere and seas.
Warm air can hold more water vapor, and warm water in the oceans evaporates more, leading to intense rainstorms and storms.
In China, dozens of people died and thousands were evacuated during floods across the country last year.
In May, after days of rain in southern China, a highway collapsed, killing 48 people.
Residents of the southern city of Guangzhou experienced a record-breaking summer: The average temperature was above 22°C for 240 days, breaking the record of 234 days set in 1994.
Sichuan, Chongqing, and the middle reaches of the Yangtze River were hit by heat and drought in early fall.
Global warming impacts
Globally, 2024 was a year of deadly floods in Spain and Kenya, numerous severe storms in the United States and the Philippines, and severe drought and wildfires across South America.
According to the information, natural disasters caused economic losses of $310 billion in 2024.
The Paris Climate Agreement of 2015 aimed to limit global warming to a level well below two degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels, and to 1.5 degrees Celsius if possible.
Recall
The average temperature in 2024 exceeded pre-industrial levels by more than 1.5°C for the first time. Economic losses from extreme weather will increase by 6% and reach $320 billion.
