Dr. Arvind Kumar*
As we approach the midpoint of the 2020s, the issue of global climatic change has evolved to become a challenge with several dimensions. The “climate balance sheet” for 2024 is an amalgamation of promising growth and overwhelming setbacks; it is the latter that predominates over the former growth in terms of the effects made in addressing the global problem. Although such increased awareness and sporadic policy changes have been on the rise, the more damaging effects of climate change tend to make people skeptical over whether the commitments made by governments and international organizations could come about in meaningful transformation.
Escalating Heatwaves and Temperature Extremes
The year 2024 has highlighted one of the most worrying and dangerous impacts of climate change: record-breaking rises in global temperatures. This summer, intense heatwaves have hit both India and Pakistan, where Pakistan saw a record rise in temperature to a record 51°C, which is equivalent to 123.8°F. It was a record heat wave but more importantly, a crisis which aggravated already existing problems of water shortage and insecurity of food. It affected dramatically tens of thousands of people and sharply disrupted agricultural production, which is important for the livelihoods of millions who depend on farming to make a living.
The American Southwest and California have been experiencing gradually worsening drought conditions, hence causing year after year deteriorating wildfires by their size and intensity. While this is the case with America, Australia is still grappling with the threat of “mega-fires,” a condition that comes with the increasingly worsened fire seasons the country has been experiencing lately. These fires burn up the ecosystems, displace people, and cause an enormous amount of economic losses. It looks like things are going to get any better soon.
Ocean Warming and Extreme Storms
The ocean has only just recently reached the peak of feeling the full effects of high temperatures, as the heat content in oceans is at its highest. The situation extends beyond the realm of environmental issues and offers some of the greatest challenges humanity is exposed to. Tropical and hurricane storms have been on the increase in terms of severity because the Atlantic hurricane season 2024 became a new record in the number of storms experienced as severe. These storms, from the Caribbean to the Gulf of Mexico, have brought extensive destruction and loss of life, coupled with serious damage to infrastructure. These storms are becoming intense due to increased sea surface temperatures, and there is a continued increase in tolls on humans and their economies.
The Arctic warming rate is alarming; as such, the drastic lowering of sea ice is more or less a reflection. In 2024, the amount of sea ice that was measured across the Arctic was recorded to be the second lowest ever after the record set in 2022. Thawing ice puts into danger coastlines worldwide with Bangladesh, Vietnam, and the Maldives, among others, at risk. Some of these lands face urgent dangers today as many more become increasingly uninhabitable as the seas advance into them. Again, it is not tomorrow’s problem: it unfolds today.
Biodiversity Crisis
Climate change is considered to be the most frequent and least acknowledged impact because it leads to the very fast loss of biodiversity. According to the 2024 report issued by IPCC, climate change is intensifying the global biodiversity crisis by driving many already threatened species closer to extinction. The coral reefs that contain approximately 25% of marine species are the most vulnerable to ocean warming. Both the Great Barrier Reef and the reefs in the Philippine Coral Triangle had extreme bleaching events in 2024, with massive mortality within coral ecosystems. This is a disastrous loss of marine biodiversity and threatens the livelihoods of millions who depend on these ecosystems for food and tourism.
On land fronts, the Amazon forest remains very much degraded. This is caused by mainly irregular rainfall and wildfires, among other things. Despite the international commitment to cease deforestation, illegal logging and land clearing still are prevalent in Brazil. Its loss results in the erosion of biodiversity besides accelerating the rate of global warming in that the Earth loses the ability to absorb carbon dioxide.
International Climate Agreements and Policy Shifts
There has been a lot of progress here, particularly on the policy side related to the actions on climate change. It remains faced with many challenges. The principal framework upon which international cooperation on the climate issue is anchored remains yet to be the Paris Agreement which set a foundation for global efforts but has since been its limitations. The world leaders reaffirmed, at COP 28 in Dubai in 2024, to limit the global warming rise to 1.5°C and upgrade efforts towards net-zero emission in the year 2050. The big question is whether these promises would turn into meaningful effective policy actions or not.
Climate finance is something that has already made more than a commitment of $15 billion in supporting adaptation and mitigation projects of climate change in particular to the most vulnerable countries put the Green Climate Fund, holds very bright financial future promises. However, this is where many governments wait with frustration as the big disappointment of mobilizing annual funding to meet the ambition of assisting with 100 billion to develop the resilient capacity in the most vulnerable countries.
Renewable Energy Adoption and Technological Innovation
There are still important positive trends in the renewable energy sector, which have witnessed an important acceleration in the use of cleaner energies. According to the report, for instance, global capacity for renewable energy grew 10% in 2024, with solar and wind energy topping the trend. India has emerged as a global leader in solar energy with a capacity of over 70 GW, whereas China is highly investing in renewable and energy storage technologies. This is a good change in the energy sector since such hope in energy production brings one of the biggest contributors to global emissions under control.
The next big breakthrough in points is the development of green hydrogen. Germany, Australia, and Chile are now stepping forward to produce green hydrogen that may eventually become a much-needed alternative for many industries, including hard-to-abate, such as heavy industry and transportation. Its cost at this moment is prohibitively high, but the promise of green hydrogen to help abate the hard-to-decarbonize industries is very important and promising.
Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies are still in the infancy stage; however, in 2024, this sector will expand its implementation and could play a very important role in the reduction of emissions. The most significant initiative includes Norway’s Northern Lights CCS project, which began to capture and store 5 million tons of CO2 per year. Although CCS does not yet approach the scale needed to achieve global climate goals, it is an important component of the strategy for decarbonizing sectors that are hard to electrify, such as cement and steel.
Adaptation Efforts: Building Resilience
Although mitigation is an essential activity, the concern of adaptation is now one that is more critical when regions are already witnessing expressions of climate change. In 2024, there were full-fledged launchings of adaptation programs in Bangladesh, Vietnam, and the Philippines. For example, Bangladesh has strengthened coastal embankments to combat this rising sea level, and in Vietnam, there has been an effort to guide farmers to adopt climate-resilient agriculture through crop diversification and water-conserving methods of irrigation.
Projects to build climate-resilient infrastructure, flood barriers, green roofs, and better drainage systems are under construction to protect millions of city dwellers, from floods and extreme weather in Jakarta and Manila, among other cities. Such projects play a crucial role in building the resilience of the communities by ensuring that such at-risk communities build up their ability to adapt.
Way Ahead
Despite these encouraging trends, the gap between commitments made in international forums such as the Paris Agreement and COP28 and what happens on the ground is wide. Emissions in the world continue to rise, and countries are far from achieving their NDCs. According to WRI, carbon emissions have risen to record levels in 2023 mainly because of activities in China and India. Being a main emitting contributor to the greatest share of emissions in history, developed countries have received heavy criticism for not cutting down their carbon footprint as quickly and steeply as they pledged to. Take, for instance, the tremendous development renewable energy has undergone in the United States, but the roadblocks in that achievement include fossil fuel subsidies alongside political stagnation.
The climate balance sheet for 2024 shows a world at a turning point. While progress in technology, growth in renewable energy, and some successful climate policies offer a beacon of hope, they are insufficient to reverse the devastating impacts of climate change that are now unfolding. The need to boost climate finance, accelerate adaptation efforts, and reduce emissions has never been more pressing. The true measure of success in the years to come will be whether governments can transform their climate pledges into tangible actions. Absent substantial and ongoing efforts, the future of our planet remains precarious, and the obstacles we face will only become increasingly daunting.
*Editor, Focus Global Reporter
