The climate crisis is “wreaking havoc” on the planet’s water cycle, with ferocious floods and crippling droughts affecting billions of people, a report has found.
The 2024 Global Water Monitor Report was produced by an international team of researchers from universities in Australia, Saudi Arabia, China, Germany and elsewhere. The team used data from thousands of ground stations and satellites orbiting the Earth to assess critical water variables such as rainfall, soil moisture, river flows, and flooding.
Key findings from the report:
Climate change is making water disasters worse. Rising temperatures caused by fossil fuel burning are increasing the strength and rainfall intensity of monsoons, cyclones and other storm systems.
Global temperatures continue to increase rapidly. Average air temperature over land area hit an all-time high, reaching 1.2°C above the 1995-2005 average. More than half the world’s population spread over 111 countries experienced their warmest year yet, while 34 countries set new maximum temperature records.
Both high rainfall and drought are becoming more extreme. In 2024, months with record-low precipitation were 38% more common than during the 1995-2005 baseline period, while record-high 24h rainfall extremes were 52% more frequent.
Water-related disasters caused major damage in 2024. They caused over 8,700 deaths, displaced 40 million people, and inflicted more than US$550 billion in damages. Flash floods, landslides, and tropical cyclones were the worst types of disasters in terms of casualties and economic damage.
Floods and drought impacted different parts of Africa, and severe drought gripped the Amazon Basin. Surface water extent, lake volumes and soil and groundwater storage changes highlight extremely wet conditions and associated flooding across the Sahel region and East Africa. Drought conditions deepened in the Amazon basin and Southern Africa.
The outlook for 2025 shows increased risks. Seasonal climate forecasts and current catchment conditions signal potential worsening of droughts in northern South America, southern Africa, and parts of Asia. Wetter regions like the Sahel and Europe may face elevated flood risk. Ongoing climate change makes extreme events such as flash floods, heatwaves and bushfires more likely everywhere.
Covered in The Guardian