There are those who define the 2024 “the year of extremes”and not without reasons.
On the other hand, this is precisely the year in which the global average temperature has broken through the ceiling of +1.5 °C above pre-industrial levelsa thermal threshold not to be exceeded before the end of the century. This is confirmed, among others, by data from the European climate monitoring service, Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S)which already at the beginning of the year revealed an upward trend compared to 2023. The forecasts then took shape in facts: between January and October 2024, the thermal anomaly was the highest evergiving us the certainty that the impact of the climate crisis has gone far beyond what was imagined just a few years ago.
Hot temperatures and their consequences
This is also the year in which ocean waters reached record levels of heat, amplifying out-of-scale weather events in multiple areas of the globe. In the Mediterranean, in particular, the average daily surface temperature it reached 28.9 °C in August, with local peaks of up to 31.96 °C. This thermal anomaly, in addition to endangering marine ecosystems, contributes to triggering or intensifying torrential rainfall and storms.
The anomalous increase in sea temperatures has in fact favored the formation of more powerful tropical cyclones in warm seas, while in other areas it has exacerbated drought. The heat waves, moreover, have been confirmed by the continuous peaks in mercury levels recorded in Africa and Asia, as well as in Central Europe.
The flood in Spain (and beyond)
The list of emergencies for 2024 includes flood phenomena that have brought entire regions to their knees. In late October, Spain experienced one of the worst floods in its recent history: in the Valencian Community, Castile-La Mancha and Andalusiathe combination of a “cold drop” with abnormally warm seas led to torrential rain, causing rivers and streams to overflow. The toll was 229 victims and thousands of displaced peoplewith enormous material damage and an infrastructure network that in some areas collapsed in a few hours.
The scenario was no different elsewhere: in Afghanistanthe persistent drought alternated with torrential rains which, due to the fragile conformation of the territory, gave rise to deadly landslides and landslides. In Brazil and Uruguayviolent storms hit rural and urban areas, forcing the authorities to issue a state of emergency. Between January and the end of September, there is globally a number exceeding 2,000 recorded weather disastersincluding floods, tropical storms and heat waves.
The fragility of Italy and extreme phenomena in Europe
In the European context, Italy found itself once again exposed to several extreme weather events. The October floods that shocked Emilia-Romagnawith rivers and streams that have well exceeded the warning levels, have brought to light the precariousness of our hydrogeological system. The territory, historically fragile, has seen infrastructure and homes swept away, especially near the river banks. In Venetothe continuous monitoring of the Po and its tributaries kept the population in suspense for weeks, while in Campania and on islands like Ischia we found ourselves having to face the consequences of out-of-scale rainfall with serious damage in areas already marked by recent tragedies. In November, torrential rains caused flooding and disruption especially in eastern Sicily. In Giarre, over 400mm of rain was recorded in 6 hours.
Fires and deforestation: the open wound of tropical forests
If in 2023 worrying records had already been reached for fires and forest destruction, 2024 consolidated an even more negative trend. In Amazon was registered, according to the National Institute for Space Research (Inpe), the highest number of fires since 2007particularly on the Bolivian side, fueled by a combination of extreme drought, deforestation to make room for crops and intensive livestock farming, and forest management policies deemed inadequate by many environmental organizations.
At the same time, Europe has decided to postpone it by a year the effective application of its Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), with the aim of reduce the impact of imports of products linked to forest destruction. A setback that many fear could dilute the scope of a fundamental rule to reduce international pressure on the planet’s forest areas.
Biodiversity under attack and the risk of new extinctions
In addition to climatic phenomena, 2024 highlighted the persistence of a serious biodiversity crisis, confirmed by several reports published during the year: vertebrate populations have suffered a drastic decline in the last 50 years, with an average reduction of around 70-75%. The factors at play are always the same: deforestation, intensive agriculture, pollution, illegal hunting and climate change, which alter habitats.
Emblematic is the European case of the thin-billed curlew (Numenius tenuirostris), also known as “curlew”, a bird once widespread also in Italy, of which traces have been lost since the 1990s and whose extinction has now been officially certified. Many other species at risk they suffer from the destruction of natural ecosystems, poaching and growing urbanisation. To complicate the picture, several governments have begun to review downward the protection of species once considered untouchable, such as the wolf, downgrading it from “strictly protected species” to “protected species”.
The delays of international summits
Faced with such a critical situation, the main global summits of 2024 have fallen short of expectations. There COP29 in Bakudedicated to climate and ending in mid-November, was supposed to be the place to increase funding to help least developed countries bear the costs of energy transition and adaptation. Instead, the funding set was much more modest than what the states themselves had previously announced.
The results of the test are also not very encouraging COP16 on biodiversityheld in Colombia, where no agreement was reached on the economic tools needed to reverse the trend of habitat and species decline. And not even the long-awaited global treaty for curb plastic pollutionone of the most urgent issues for the health of marine ecosystems, has seen the light: everything postponed until 2025. This panorama of continuous postponements and poor results highlights the difficulty of finding a true political will shared at an international level.
A critical year, but hope remains in concrete changes
We can say, without fear of contradiction, that 2024 is about to end with a substantially negative balance sheet in terms of environmental emergencies. While scientific data indicates that the planet is on a slippery slope, institutional responses and international summits have proven insufficient to reverse the trend.
The scientific community reiterates that acting now is more urgent than ever: from the rapid transition towards renewable energy, to the protection of tropical forests and biodiversity, up to the containment of land consumption and the adoption of agricultural and production systems with reduced environmental impact.
If there is a lesson that emerges forcefully from the dramatic events of 2024, it is that the technical and economic solutions to deal with the crisis exist, but it is political will – and collective awareness – having to take the decisive step.
