Extreme weather impacts cascading ‘from the Andes to the Amazon’
The study also highlights positive developments amid the bleak news, such as the growing role of renewable energy in the region and the power of early warning systems to save lives.
“In 2024, weather and climate impacts cascaded from the Andes to the Amazon, from crowded cities to coastal communities, causing major economic and environmental disruptions,” said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo.
“Drought and extreme heat fuelled devastating wildfires. Exceptional rainfall triggered unprecedented flooding, and we saw the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record,” she added.
Feeling the heat
The State of the Climate for Latin America and the Caribbean report reveals that 2024 was the warmest or second warmest year on record, depending on the dataset used.
Rising temperatures led to the disappearance of the Humboldt Glacier, the last one standing in Venezuela, which became the second country in the world after Slovenia to lose all its glaciers in the modern era.
Meanwhile, El Niño conditions in the first half of the year influenced rain patterns. For example, areas across the Amazonia and Pantanal regions in Brazil experienced widespread drought, where rainfall was 30 to 40 per cent below normal.
Wildfires and floods
Wildfires in the Amazon and Pantanal, as well as in central Chile, Mexico and Belize, were driven by drought and extreme heatwaves, breaking records in many countries. Wildfires in Chile resulted in over 130 deaths - the country’s worst disaster since the February 2010 earthquake.
Floods triggered by heavy rainfall in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul became Brazil’s worst climate related disaster, causing billions in economic losses to the agricultural sector.
While timely warnings and evacuations helped mitigate the impacts of the flooding, WMO said more than 180 fatalities were reported, thus highlighting the need to improve understanding around disaster risks among both authorities and the general public.
Hope and resilience
“But there is also hope,” Ms. Saulo insisted, pointing to bright spots in the report.
“Early warnings and climate services from National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) are saving lives and increasing resilience throughout Latin America and the Caribbean,” she said.
Moreover, renewable energy accounts for nearly 69 per cent of the energy mix. Solar and wind energy experienced a remarkable 30 per cent increase in capacity and generation compared to 2023, WMO said.
The UN weather agency and partners are also assisting national meteorological and hydrological services to support renewable energy development and integration through artificial intelligence-based wind forecasting, and other measures.
The State of the Climate for Latin America and the Caribbean report was issued at a WMO Regional Association meeting hosted by El Salvador to inform decisions on climate change mitigation, adaptation and risk management at the regional level.
It complements the State of the Global Climate flagship report, released last week.