China Records Its Warmest Year Amid Global Climate Crisis

With an average temperature of 10.92°C (51.66°F)—1.03°C higher than the norm—the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) confirmed what scientists worldwide have been warning: climate change is escalating at an alarming pace.

Last year marked a chilling milestone for China and the planet—2024 was officially China’s hottest year since national records began in 1961. With an average temperature of 10.92°C (51.66°F)—1.03°C higher than the norm—the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) confirmed what scientists worldwide have been warning: climate change is escalating at an alarming pace.

“The top four warmest years ever were the past four years, with all top ten warmest years since 1961 occurring in the 21st century,” the CMA reported. This trend underscores the relentless impact of global warming, largely driven by greenhouse gas emissions.

China, the world’s largest emitter of these gases, has pledged to peak its carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2060. But the challenges ahead are daunting. From record-breaking summer heatwaves to devastating floods, the effects of climate change are hitting home.

In July and August, China endured its hottest months in recorded history. The southern city of Guangzhou reported an unprecedented 240 days with average temperatures exceeding 22°C (71.6°F). Meanwhile, Sichuan, Chongqing, and the Yangtze River basin grappled with heatwaves and droughts that strained water supplies and agriculture.

Globally, 2024 was no better. Floods in Spain and Kenya, violent storms in the United States and the Philippines, and wildfires across South America painted a grim picture of the planet’s climate trajectory. According to Swiss Re, these natural disasters cost the world $310 billion in economic losses.

The United Nations echoed the urgency, declaring 2024 as likely the warmest year on record globally. Warmer air holds more water vapor, leading to heavier rains, while warmer oceans drive evaporation, fueling powerful storms. “Impacts are wide-ranging, deadly, and increasingly costly,” experts warn, with damaged property, ruined crops, and loss of life becoming routine headlines.

In May, southern China witnessed this devastation firsthand when a rain-triggered highway collapse claimed 48 lives. Across the nation, floods forced thousands to evacuate, underscoring the human toll of climate inaction.

The Paris Agreement, signed in 2015, aimed to limit global warming to well below 2°C—and ideally to 1.5°C—above pre-industrial levels. Yet, the World Meteorological Organization reported a worrying 1.54°C rise in global temperatures for the January-September period of 2024.

As the data piles up, the message is clear: the time for half-measures has passed. “Climate change is no longer a distant threat; it’s here, now, and everywhere,” experts emphasize. The world must act decisively to avert an even hotter, more perilous future.