SCORCHED EARTH

Brace Yourselves for Years of Killer Heat and Climate Chaos

“Higher global mean temperatures translates to more lives lost,” a scientist said.

Killer record-breaking heat and extreme weather are here to stay. According to top forecasters cited by the Associated Press, there’s an 80 percent chance the world will shatter another annual heat record in the next five years. A five-year forecast released Wednesday by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the U.K. Meteorological Office warns that the Earth is almost certain to exceed the international temperature threshold set a decade ago. Cornell University climate scientist Natalie Mahowald, who wasn’t involved in the research, said we should expect more extreme weather events such as hurricanes, droughts, floods, and typhoons. “So higher global mean temperatures translates to more lives lost,” the scientist said. The warning comes after the WMO confirmed 2024 as the warmest year on record at about 1.55°C above pre-industrial level, while the past ten years (2015-2024) have all been in the top ten, “in an extraordinary streak of record-breaking temperatures.” UN Secretary-General Antóno Guterres made it clear in January: “There’s still time to avoid the worst of climate catastrophe. But leaders must act—now.”