It seems like you can't escape the headlines these days
about all the crazy weather.
Yeah.
And we've actually had a ton of requests
to break down everything that happened in 2024.
Like everyone's really feeling the heat literally.
Yeah.
So let's dive into it.
We've got an expert with us who can help us make sense
of this record breaking year.
Well, you're definitely right about the records.
2024 is officially the hottest year on record
beating out even 2023.
Oh, wow.
And what's even more concerning is the fact
that the global average temperature actually
went above that 1.5 degrees Celsius,
above pre-industrial levels.
And it stayed there for a full 12 months.
OK, wait a minute.
That 1.5 degree mark, that's the limit
from the Paris Agreement to try to prevent the worst
climate change outcomes.
Right?
And we hit that for an entire year.
Yeah.
That's what makes 2024 such a serious wake-up call.
We may be reaching that threshold sooner than we thought.
So let's rewind a bit and look back at how this all played out.
When did things really start to go off the rails?
Well, the year began with the warmest January ever recorded.
Oh, wow.
Which kind of set the stage for what was to come.
That led into the warmest winter on record
for the entire Northern Hemisphere.
And it wasn't just air temperature.
We saw really warm oceans, too.
So we're talking record breaking heat on land and at sea
right from the start.
Were there any other clues early on that 2024
was going to be a wild one?
Absolutely.
In June, Hurricane Barrel formed, and it quickly
became a category five hurricane.
Wow.
And that's the earliest we've ever seen a hurricane reach
that intensity in the Atlantic.
A category five in June?
That's definitely not normal.
Nope.
And July just crank things up even more.
On July 22, we had the Earth's hottest day ever recorded,
a global average of 17.16 degrees Celsius.
17.1 degrees Celsius.
That's definitely a number to remember.
And this wasn't just like a one-day spike, right?
This extreme heat was global.
You got it.
In the days leading up to that, record cities in Asia
from Japan to Indonesia to China were reporting
record breaking temperatures of their own.
Even the Gulf region had a heat index over 60 degrees Celsius.
That is intense.
It sounds brutal.
Did this trend continue throughout the whole summer?
It did.
The northern hemisphere went through its warmest summer
on record, ending with a scorching August.
But it wasn't just about the heat waves.
This intense heat also fueled other extreme events
around the world.
Like what else were we dealing with during this time?
Well, in September, for instance,
a low-pressure system named Boris
hit central Europe with tons of rain.
It caused some of the worst flooding the region
has seen in a long time.
Yeah, I remember seeing the images of those floods
on the news.
They were devastating.
Entire neighborhoods were underwater.
Exactly.
Parts of the Czech Republic, Austria, Poland, and Slovakia
got three months worth of rain in just five days.
The damage was really widespread.
Wow.
And if I remember correctly, those intense rains
weren't limited to Europe, were they?
Your right.
West Africa was also hit hard by heavy rains
that same month.
Countries like Nigeria and Niger Chad and Mali
experienced their worst flooding in decades.
Millions of people were affected.
It's amazing how these extreme events were happening
in totally different parts of the world.
But you can see this connection to a bigger pattern
of extreme weather driven by climate change.
Yeah, it shows that we're all linked by our climate system.
What happens in one region can definitely
impact the entire globe.
So with all this going on, we have
to think about the usual suspects El Nino and greenhouse gas
emissions.
But it seems like even those can't fully
explain how intense the warming was in 2024.
Right.
While those definitely played a part,
scientists are exploring other things
that might have added to this unprecedented warming.
OK, so what else could be amplifying all this heat?
Well, one interesting development
is related to something you might not
expect the shipping industry.
Back in 2020, the International Maritime Organization,
or IMO, set rules to cut down on sulfur in shipping fuel.
This was a good thing for reducing air pollution,
but it seems to have had an unexpected side effect.
Wait, so how could cleaner shipping
fuel actually lead to warmer temperatures?
It has to do with something called planetary albedo.
Albedo is basically how much solar radiation is
reflected back into space by the Earth
lighter surfaces like ice and clouds,
reflect more sunlight, darker surfaces
like oceans and forests absorb more.
Got it.
So how does the IMO regulation tie into albedo?
So burning fossil fuels, including that old shipping
fuel, released tiny particles called aerosols
into the atmosphere.
OK.
These aerosols actually reflect sunlight back into space,
increasing the planet's albedo.
So when the IMO rules led to fewer aerosols,
it looks like less solar radiation got reflected back,
which means more warming.
So cleaner shifts might actually be contributing
to a warmer planet.
That's interesting trade-off.
It is.
It shows how complex and interconnected
the Earth's systems really are.
But there's another factor that could be even more important
when it comes to albedo cloud cover.
Right, clouds, those massive planetary sunshades,
what's happening with them.
Scientists have noticed a decrease in total cloud
cover over the past few decades, especially low-level clouds
over the North Atlantic.
This decrease is probably connected to rising ocean
surface temperatures.
So warmer oceans, fewer clouds, less reflection, more warming.
Precisely.
It creates a bit of a vicious cycle.
Warming leads to fewer clouds, which
leads to even more warming.
This could be especially important over the North Atlantic,
where ocean temperatures have been rising rapidly.
It's like we're putting together a climate change puzzle,
uncovering all these interconnected factors that
contribute to these unprecedented heat waves.
It's a complex puzzle, for sure.
And we can't forget that all these rising temperatures
and extreme weather events directly impact people's lives.
Yeah, it's easy to get caught up in the science.
But we can't ignore the human cost of climate change.
You're right.
And we saw that play out in 2024.
The floods in Europe and West Africa
displace millions and cause thousands of deaths.
And there was that terrible heat wave in Saudi Arabia
during the Hajj pilgrimage in June that
killed over 1,300 people.
It's just heartbreaking to think about all the suffering
these events cause.
It really hits home that climate change
isn't some abstract idea.
It's a real and present danger.
It is.
And it's danger that's only going to get worse
if we don't do something.
Organizations like World Weather Attribution
are doing important work.
They analyze these extreme weather events
and figure out how much of it is due to human-caused climate
change.
Right.
And what they're finding consistently
shows a clear link.
So it's not just a coincidence that we're
seeing more and more of these extreme events.
They're a direct result of our actions.
Exactly.
And the science is clear.
Every bit of warming matters.
The more the planet heats up, the more severe and frequent
these events will be.
That's a subring thought.
But with all these alarming events,
were there any signs of hope in 2024?
Did we see any progress in tackling this crisis?
There were some positive things happening
on the international scene, despite all the bad news.
Right.
The UN Climate Conference, COP29,
focused on giving more financial support to poorer
countries to help them deal with the impacts of climate change.
That makes sense.
Those countries often don't have the resources
to adapt to and recover from these disasters,
even though they've contributed the least
to historical carbon emissions.
Exactly.
And in response to the UN Secretary-General's call
to action on extreme heat, a bunch of experts
from different organizations and countries
got together to develop a plan to address
the growing problem of heat waves.
So there's definitely growing awareness of the need
to act urgently.
That's good to hear.
But it still feels like we're racing against time.
What does 2024's record-breaking heat tell us about the future?
Are we even close to meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement?
Well, the fact that we went over 1.5 degrees Celsius
of warming for 12 months straight is a big warning sign.
It suggests we might be hitting that point much sooner
than we thought.
And going over that limit even temporarily
has serious consequences, right?
Absolutely.
The effects of climate change aren't linear.
Every little bit of warming makes more severe and frequent
extreme weather events more likely.
So we're already feeling the impacts,
and they're only going to get worse unless we change course.
But this isn't just about the next few years, is it?
We need to be thinking long term.
You're absolutely right.
We need to look at the big picture
and consider the kind of world we're
leaving for future generations.
It's a legacy that we all have a responsibility to shape.
That's the key.
The choices we make today will have effects for decades,
even centuries to come.
So as we move into 2025, what's the most important takeaway
for our listeners, which we all keep in mind
as we navigate this changing world?
I think 2024 showed us more than ever
that climate change isn't some far off threat.
It's happening right now, and it's impacting us all.
But the good news is we still have time to act.
We can still make a difference.
It's not too late.
Exactly.
We have the knowledge, the technology, and the resources
to transition to a more sustainable future.
We just need the political will and collective action
to make it happen.
It's a call to action.
Absolutely.
2025 could be a turning point.
It's been designated as the International Year of Glaciers
Preservation, which will hopefully
shine a light on the cryosphere, the Earth's frozen regions.
Right.
They play a crucial role in regulating our climate.
Protecting our glaciers is so important for a stable climate
future.
It is.
And the World Meteorological Organization
is also working on things to improve how we monitor greenhouse
gases and develop early warning systems for extreme weather
to protect vulnerable communities.
So there's a lot of work being done to understand and deal
with climate change.
But in the end, it also comes down to individual action,
right?
It does.
Every choice we make from the food we eat to how we travel
to the products we buy has an impact on the planet.
So we all have a role to play in creating
a more sustainable future.
It's not just about governments and big corporations.
It's about each of us making conscious choices
in our daily lives.
Yes.
And it's about demanding action from our leaders,
making sure they keep their climate promises.
It's about using our voices and our votes
to create the world we want to live in.
It's about recognizing that our individual actions, when
multiplied by millions, can really make a difference.
It really shows that we have the power
to shape the future of this planet.
Yeah, that's where the real hope lies in our ability
to make a difference.
As we wrap up our look at this incredibly hot year, 2024,
what's the main message you want our listeners
to walk away with?
I think 2024 made one thing crystal clear.
The effects of climate change aren't often the future anymore.
They're happening now, and they're affecting all of us.
But the good news is, we still have time to change things.
We have the solutions.
We just need everyone to work together
and put them into action.
2024 was certainly a wake-up call
with all those record-breaking temperatures
and extreme weather events.
It's a warning of what could happen
if we keep going down the same path.
But it also showed how resilient people are
and our ability to create positive change.
Absolutely.
If we want a safer and more sustainable world for the future,
we have to act now, both on our own and together.
So let's make 2025 the year we turn the tide on climate change.
And for anyone listening who wants to stay informed
on the latest weather and climate news,
be sure to follow meteorologist Rob Jones.
You can find him on Instagram at meteorologist
on TikTok at TV Meteorologist.
And on YouTube, just search for Rob Jones' Hurricane.
You'll also find the Meteorology Matters
podcast playlist there.
Thanks for joining us on this episode of Meteorology Matters.
We'll see you next time.
Stay informed, stay involved, and stay hopeful.