The year 2024 has been recorded as the hottest year ever, with global temperatures averaging 1.55 degrees higher than pre-industrial levels, surpassing the previous record set in 2023.

This extreme heat contributed to a staggering toll, with climate change-related disasters resulting in over 8,700 deaths and displacing 40 million people, alongside economic losses exceeding $550 billion.

In July 2024, Antarctica experienced unprecedented heat, with temperatures soaring over 28 degrees above average, leading to unusual rainfall that negatively impacted local flora and fauna.

The effects of elevated ocean temperatures were starkly illustrated by Hurricane Milton in October 2024, which reached near the theoretical maximum wind speed for tropical cyclones.

The Great Barrier Reef faced severe coral bleaching due to marine heatwaves, with 66% of monitored coral colonies affected by February 2024 and 44% dying by July.

Along Australia's southern coast, marine heatwaves triggered a population explosion of longspined sea urchins, posing a significant threat to kelp forests and the biodiversity they support.

In the Arctic, melting permafrost has resulted in streams turning bright orange due to leached iron and toxic metals, endangering local ecosystems and drinking water sources.

In Perth, Carnaby's cockatoos are facing threats from habitat loss and extreme heat, leading to food shortages and breeding failures, prompting government funding for wildlife rehabilitation.

Crop shortages were widespread in 2024, particularly impacting coffee and cocoa prices, with Arabica coffee reaching its highest prices since 1972 due to climate-driven heatwaves and disasters.

UN Secretary General António Guterres has stressed the urgent need to address climate change, emphasizing that we must exit the path to ruin without delay.

The melting of glaciers is believed to be increasing tectonic activity, as evidenced by heightened seismic activity in regions that were previously suppressed by glacial weight.

Research indicates that melting ice is also affecting Earth's rotation, with days becoming longer at a rate of 1.33 milliseconds per century due to water redistribution towards the equator.