The year 2024 has been identified as the warmest year on record since 1901, signifying the impact of global climate change, even as 10 out of the 15 warmest years were observed between 2010 and 2024, an eminent meteorologist has said.
The five warmest years on record, in descending order, were 2024 (+0.65 degrees C), 2016 (+0.54 degrees C), 2009 (+0.40 degrees C), 2010 (+0.39 degrees C), and 2017 (+0.38 degrees C), Dr. Akhil Srivastava of the National Weather Forecasting Centre of the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), said.
Heatwaves, the impact of which has become more pronounced in recent years, have emerged as the second-most devastating extreme weather event in terms of human deaths and losses, Dr. Srivastava said while speaking at the two-day international conclave on ‘Climate Change and Global Warming—Issues and Prospects’, which concluded at the SOA Deemed to be University here on Friday.
Dr. Srivastava said it was not just high temperatures that were responsible for the gruesome effects of heatwaves, but several other meteorological parameters also played a vital role in aggravating their effects.
A plethora of meteorological factors, including maximum and minimum temperatures, relative humidity, wind speed, heatwave duration, and intensity, aggravated the impact of heat stress, he said.
Dr. Srivastava said the number of heatwave events increased by about 24 per cent between 2010 and 2019 compared to the period from 2000 to 2009, while the associated mortality rate increased by about 27 per cent.
While the mortality rate caused by tropical cyclones has declined by 94 per cent over the past two decades, deaths due to heatwaves have increased by more than 62 per cent, he said, adding that heatwaves in India are expected to intensify in the future, leading to a rise in heat stress.