Climate change

It was the warmest April on record – the eleventh month in a row of record global temperatures. Sea surface temperatures have been record high for the past 13 months. Extreme weather caused many casualties and socio-economic disruption.

To investigate trends in fire weather, a key factor of wildfire risk, Climate Central analyzed data from 476 weather stations to assess trends in 245 climate divisions spanning the 48 contiguous U.S. states during the last 51 years (1973-2023).

Research published this week estimated that the record floods could reduce Britain's ability to feed itself by nearly 10% due to a reduced crop area and poor yields.

Climate change is here, in Europe, and it kills. This is the warning of 69 contributors of the 2024 Europe report of the Lancet Countdown , published today in the Lancet Public Health.

Throughout April and continuing into May 2024, extreme record-breaking heat led to severe impacts across the Asian continent.

The authors propose a long-term strategy for integrating wildfire risk management into forest land management and note that large fires are often followed by investment in fire-fighting infrastructure, but not wildfire mitigation and prevention.

Canada’s warmest ever winter, with low to non-existent snowpack in many areas and ongoing drought. is raising fears that this summer will see more of Canada’s forests and wildland urban interface go up in flames.

In what was the hottest year on record, Swiss Re’s latest report reveals that catastrophes resulted in global economic losses of USD 280 billion in 2023. Of these, USD 108 billion (40%) were insured, above the previous 10-year average of USD 89 billion.