Last week, NOAA announced that 2024 was officially the warmest year since records began in 1850. This is no surprise to anyone following weather statistics; scientists predicted this as early as May.
NOAA's report highlights
- NOAA ranks 2024 as the warmest year in its global temperature record, which dates back to 1850.
- Upper ocean heat content—the heat stored in the top 2000 meters of the ocean—was record high in 2024.
- Antarctic sea ice extent was second lowest on record in both February (when the annual minimum occurs) and September (when the annual maximum occurs).
- In 2024, there were 85 named tropical storms worldwide, which was slightly below average, and 18 in the North Atlantic, which was above average.
Wildfires for instance were not even mentioned in their report, however, if I just stop and think, wildfires have ravaged our planet recently with a frightening ferocity.
In 2019/20 the unprecedented wildfires in Australia were an eye-opener for the world. The fire destroyed 25% of Australia's temperate forest, (a normal season would see a loss of just 2%). The fire killed more than 2 billion wild animals. The koala population has never recovered and is now an endangered species. The fire destroyed 60% of Australia's Eastern summer crop production and destroyed thousands of buildings. Temperatures of 50 deg C, (122 deg F), crippling drought and tinder-dry winds exasperated the problem. This was due to a weak El Nino. The following two years brought Australia staggering, record-breaking amounts of rainfall due to a La Nina triple-dip event.
In 2023 and 2024, several countries experienced record-breaking wildfires, with significant impacts observed across multiple continents. Notable instances include:
Canada:
The 2023 wildfire season was the most destructive on record, with over 6,000 fires burning approximately 15 million hectares of land, an area larger than England and more than double the previous record set in 1989, according to NATURAL RESOURCES CANADA.
South America:
In 2024, countries such as Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru faced extensive wildfires, collectively burning around 85.9 million hectares. These fires were exacerbated by severe drought conditions and climate change, leading to significant deforestation in the Amazon rainforest and other critical biomes. according to WIKIPEDIA
European Union:
The year 2023 was among the worst for wildfires in the EU this century, with unprecedented fires in many regions, contributing to a global increase in wildfire activity. according to the EU SCIENCE HUB.
United States:
Early-season wildfires in 2023 generated record-breaking surface ozone anomalies across the Upper Midwest, indicating the extensive impact of these fires on air quality and public health—AGU PUBLICATIONS
Oregon and California.
In 2024, the United States experienced record-breaking wildfires, notably in Oregon and California.
California 2025:
As we are seeing a very late but massive group of wildfires have turned LA and in particular Holliwood into its own disaster movie in the first two weeks of 2025. This time the fires have hit the rich and famous showing these wildfires have no preference to rich or poor.
These events highlight a concerning trend of increasing wildfire frequency and intensity, driven by climate change, prolonged droughts, and the proliferation of flammable vegetation. As we saw in Australia in 2019, as these fires explode in ferocity the impact on wildlife and agriculture will become even more devastating.
But, It's not just warm weather increasing yearly and uncontrollable wildfires.
In 2024, many countries experienced record-breaking rainfall, leading to significant flooding and agricultural challenges such as crop stress. This, like the wildfires was not mentioned in NOAA's report. Notable instances include:
Spain:
Between October 29 and November 3, 2024, eastern regions of Spain, including the Valencian Community, Castilla-La Mancha, and Andalusia, faced torrential rains resulting in severe flooding. These events led to 219 deaths, with 93 people still missing, and caused widespread damage to infrastructure. The incredible rainfall was like 100-year weather events happening every day for a week. Wikipedia.
United Kingdom:
According to the Times, the year 2024 was the UK's 17th wettest since 1836, with southern England experiencing severe storms and flooding. Despite the increased rainfall, it was also the UK's fourth warmest year on record, highlighting the complex interplay between temperature and precipitation patterns.
Australia:
In 2024, Australia recorded its eighth wettest year since national records began in 1900, with rainfall 28% above the 1961–1990 average. This increased precipitation was accompanied by their second-hottest year on record for the country, illustrating the concurrent extremes in weather patterns. This statistic followed 2021/22 and 22/23 which brought Australia staggering, record-breaking amounts of rainfall due to a La Nina triple-dip event.
Ireland:
Had a record-wet year in 2024.
Western Europe with Holland and Belgium:
All suffered record-breaking wet years in 2024, however, NOAA only reported on the fact Europe had its hottest year on record!
I asked my ChatGPT account how long it thought the world could carry on functioning as these extreme weather events continued: Here's an outline of the likely timeline and impacts:
Short-Term (2020s-2030s):
Crop Yields Decline in Some Regions: With warming above 1.5°C compared to pre-industrial levels, staple crops like wheat, maize, and rice could see reduced yields in tropical and subtropical regions due to heat stress and changes in precipitation patterns, causing droughts and floods.
Mid-Term (2040s-2070s):
Critical Thresholds for Crops Reached: Warming above 2°C significantly increases the risk of crop failures in multiple regions simultaneously. For example: Maize: May suffer drastic yield losses in Africa and parts of South America. Wheat and Rice: Reduced productivity in South Asia and Southeast Asia. Widespread Soil Degradation: Higher temperatures may degrade soil health, leading to reduced fertility and water retention capabilities. Global Food Insecurity Worsens: If global warming continues unchecked, major agricultural systems in key breadbaskets (e.g., the Midwest U.S., European plains) could face declining productivity due to extreme weather.
Long-Term (2080s-2100s):
Crop Failures Become Common: If warming reaches 3°C or higher, many crops will face limits to their physiological tolerance, particularly in tropical regions where temperatures might exceed 40°C during critical growth phases. Desertification and Arable Land Loss: Regions such as the Sahel, parts of South Asia, and Australia could see a near-total loss of arable land. Global Staple Crops at Risk: Maize: Severe declines due to heat stress. Rice: Salinization of coastal farmlands from sea-level rise and increased flooding. Wheat: Drastic reduction in productivity in hotter regions. Massive Crop Substitution or Abandonment: Farmers may abandon traditional crops in favour of more heat- and drought-tolerant species, like millet and sorghum. However, these crops cannot fully replace the caloric output of staples like maize and rice.
Tipping Points for Total Crop Collapse:
Beyond 4°C of Warming: Global food systems could collapse in many regions. Pests and diseases thrive in warmer climates, compounding the stress on crops. Combined with population growth, this could result in widespread famine.
AI's Conclusion:
Without significant action to mitigate climate change, global agriculture could face severe challenges by mid-century, with widespread crop failures possible by the end of the century under high-emission scenarios.
Well, for what it's worth, ChatGPT is like reading a post from NOAA or NASA, AI is just quoting the people who pay for it—As they say, "nothing to see here."
What do I think?
As usual, I quote the Bible . . .
"For, behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven;..." Malachi 4:1 (the last book, chapter and verses of the Old Testament).
The last 10 years including 2024 have been the hottest ever recorded in 174 years! Summer and Autumn 2023 were the hottest ever recorded in 174 years, if I were a betting man, I would wager 2025 would be the hottest year ever once again!
Tipping Point Long Gone!
The three hottest days ever recorded on the planet happened on the 3rd 4th and 5th of July 2023, and then, it happened again in 2024, this time four days running (almost a year to the day) . . .
Let me try and put this into some kind of perspective, for the next 15 years, (up to 2040), 1 degree C, or 1.8 degrees F will probably be added to the average temp every year, maybe more, because ladies and gentlemen, our planet is not only warming up but, the warmth is accelerating! It's clearly undeniable, that if the warming continues as it has done in the last 15 years temperatures of 65 deg C (149 F) or even higher will be quite possible on certain summer days in the Northern Hemisphere.
If 2040 or sometime close is the cut-off, remember the last seven years would be the "TRIBULATION PERIOD" which doesn't leave a lot of time to get good with Jesus. It's quite clear, that without Jesus, mankind as a species has no future but, He, will save some of us.
Unlivable
These temperatures are quite frankly unlivable, not just for us but all wildlife, including fish, plants, trees and more important agriculture. Our whole ecosystem will have collapsed long before we reach these temperatures, what I'm saying, is, quite simply, we are very quickly arriving (if we are not there already) at an ecological Armageddon, never mind a Biblical Armageddon.
Now then, here is the caveat for anyone reading this post, you do not have to be 'religious' to understand the warning here! As a species we are quite literally 'shafted—It's unstoppable, in my humble opinion.
Over the years, I have documented Holland getting hotter, not just in the summer but also in winter. Below are my honest views on a tricky subject. Temperatures here in many parts of Europe, especially the south regularly exceed 40 deg F, (104F). For countries further north such as Belgium, Holland, Germany etc, 40 degrees C is extreme, however, these temps have become more common recently. Our infrastructure is not built for such temperatures, and most of us don't have airco.
In the UK, where I was born, I am used to cool, wet summers, so when I arrived here in Holland in 1995 I was pleasantly surprised by the long summers and wonderful sunshine. But even so, back then, if the mercury reached anything close to 30 degrees C (86F) it was considered quite special and didn't happen very often. Ten years later, however, the summer highs we are now commonly hitting 35 degrees C (95F). In the two-thousand-teens, the high 30s became much more frequent, then in the summer of 2019, the 40 deg C (104 deg F) ceiling was smashed when a record-breaking temperature of 41.4 deg C, (106 deg F) hit Holland, breaking the previous record which was set just the day before at 39.8 deg C. (104 deg F).
These temps, or at least, the high 30s are not considered special anymore. This summer Southern Europe has been unlivable for large parts of the summer, with temperatures hitting the high 40s C or 115+ F. In Spain, Portugal, France, Italy and Greece all these places suffered incredible wildfires. I ask the question, who will want to live here in years to come?
To make matters worse, the surface of the Mediterranean Sea alarmingly reached its highest recorded temperature, and it was made public. According to the Spanish Maritime Institute, the daily median temperature of the Mediterranean Sea on Thursday, August 15th 2024 was 28.9 degrees Celsius (84 degrees Fahrenheit). The record-breaking temperature has not come as a surprise to those following recent meteorological and climatological data. Due to a prolonged marine heatwave that has persisted in the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, there has been one record-breaking temperature after the other. A shocking 4°C to 5°C above the 1991 to 2020 average has been recorded across half of the surface of one of the world’s most well-known seas.
The affected area is not concentrated in one place, as it actually extends from the eastern to the western basins, covering nearly the entirety of the sea’s length. It has to be noted that, in July 2023, the surface temperature of the Mediterranean Sea broke yet another record. The temperature was at 28.71 degrees Celsius (83.69 degrees Fahrenheit.) The devastating forest fires that broke out near Athens at the beginning of August 2024 and burned huge areas of the northeastern suburbs of the capital are not unrelated to the general situation in the Mediterranean Sea.
What we are seeing in LA, is extremely worrying but, I seem to hear myself saying this 3 or 4 times a year recently. To be honest, I can't even imagine what we will be witnessing if we are still here in ten years. Stay safe folks!
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