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As if the sky was crying, torrents of rain poured down on the California coast from atmospheric rivers, long bands of clouds that carry water vapor from the tropics to higher latitudes. These events wreaked havoc on the land, causing floods, landslides, and infrastructure damage, and they are likely to become more common and severe as the climate changes. Other forms of extreme weather, such as wildfires, floods, and hurricanes, are also becoming more frequent and intense. The governor of California declared a state of emergency in February in response to the series of powerful storms brought by the atmospheric rivers.

Meanwhile, Chile faced a fiery inferno, as the worst wildfires in its history ravaged the country, claiming at least 34 lives and destroying more than 1.5 million hectares of land. The fires were driven by a perfect storm of factors, such as drought, high temperatures, strong winds, and human activity, all of which are connected to climate change. While a historic winter heat wave broke hundreds of U.S. records, bringing temperatures up to 40°F above average for this time of year and sparking massive wildfires in Texas, where they recorded more than 300 heat-related deaths. 

The Doomsday Clock, a symbolic representation of how close humanity is to a global disaster, ticked 20 seconds closer to midnight, the closest it has ever been since it was created in 1947. The clock is maintained by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, who cited the dangers of nuclear war and climate change as the main reasons for the latest update. Antarctic sea ice reached its second-lowest summer minimum on record on February 20, 2024, shrinking to 768,000 square miles (1.99 million square kilometers). The National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) reported that Antarctic Sea ice extent (the area of ocean with at least 15 percent sea ice concentration) had its third consecutive annual minimum below 2 million square kilometers (772,000 square miles). The 2024 minimum was statistically tied with the 2022 minimum for second lowest in the satellite record, behind the record holder of 2023. 

African apes are already feeling the effects of climate change, and will face more extreme events such as wildfires, heat waves and flooding in the next 30 years, according to a study published February 28 in the open-access journal PLOS Climate by Razak Kiribou and colleagues from Haramaya University in Ethiopia. To better understand how African great apes will be impacted by climate change, the researchers examined past and future climate for 363 sites across Africa. They measured temperature and rainfall at each site between 1981 and 2010. Using two climate change scenarios, they projected how often apes would encounter climate change impacts in the near future (2021–2050) and the long term (2071–2099). They estimated the probability of extreme events that could affect apes directly or indirectly, such as droughts, flooding, wildfires, and crop failure. Between 2007 and 2016, almost half of the sites had experienced higher than average temperatures, and eastern chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) endured the most extreme temperatures. No matter what the climate scenario, temperatures were set to soar across the globe, and most places would face frequent wildfires and crop failures in the near future.

A climate model that warned of a disastrous collapse of ocean systems due to climate change was challenged by British scientists. They argued that the model relied on unrealistic scenarios and ignored the complexity and diversity of the ocean. At the same time, Prince Harry was seen boarding a private jet to Canada despite his talk about climate change. The duplicity of celebrities and the media has been a constant trend that has been condemned on social media platforms. A new study exposed that climate change deniers are changing their tactics to spread misinformation online. Instead of rejecting the reality or causes of climate change, they are now questioning the solutions, activists, and scientists, and using more covert and clever methods to influence public opinion. Another survey revealed that more Americans than ever before acknowledge that climate change is happening. However, there is still a gap between belief and action, as many Americans are reluctant to change their lifestyles or support policies to address climate change.

Kazi Rhid is a Content Strategy Coordinator at CGS 

The views expressed in this write-up are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policies of CGS.