In keeping with a global trend of extreme weather brought on by climate change, India’s meteorological authority declared on Wednesday that 2024 would be the hottest year since 1901, with scorching temperatures in the most populated country in the world.
Mrutyunjay Mohapatra the director of the India Meteorological Department said
“The year 2024 was the warmest year on record since 1901,”.
“The annual mean land surface air temperature across India in 2024 was 0.65 degrees Celsius above the long-term average, 1991-2020 period.”
Last month, the United Nations declared 2024 would be the warmest year on record, capping a decade of record-breaking heat.
In 2024, harsh weather and record heat were brought on by climate change. That fueled natural disasters and inflicted damage worth billions of dollars.
With temperatures reaching over 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit). India had its longest heatwave ever last year.
Temperatures during a May heatwave in New Delhi reached 49.2 Celsius (120.5 Fahrenheit). The capital’s previous record high was set in 2022.
India has pledged to attain a net zero emissions economy by 2070. Two decades after the majority of the industrialized West, while being the third-largest producer of greenhouse gases in the world.
It currently relies heavily on coal to generate electricity.
Rising temperatures are only one aspect of global warming. That is mostly caused by the combustion of fossil fuels. Another is the result of all the additional heat that is present in the atmosphere and oceans.
More water vapor can be held in warmer air, and warmer oceans cause more evaporation, which intensifies storms and downpours.
The effects are extensive, lethal, and getting more expensive; they also destroy crops and cause property damage.
