Climate change created an extra six weeks of dangerous heat for the average person in 2024, and fuelled more prolonged heatwaves in most of the Middle East, scientists revealed on Friday.
People typically endured 41 more days of extreme heat than they could expect in a world without global warming, according to calculations by researchers at World Weather Attribution and Climate Central. In the Middle East, the number of “risky heat days” rose to 70 in Saudi Arabia, 67 in Egypt and 50 in the UAE. Risky heat days are those that hit unusually high temperatures by the standards of recent decades.
On one sweltering day – Sunday, July 21 – more than five billion people were enduring conditions that were once only half as likely. Climate scientists called heatwaves a “silent killer” that catch people by surprise because of unseasonal conditions, a lack of early warning systems and a less dramatic “trail of destruction” than storms or wildfires.
They said 2024 was the first year in which temperatures were 1.5°C higher than in pre-industrial times, a key benchmark in the fight against climate change. One year does not mean the world has failed to limit global warming to 1.5°C because the target refers to a long-term average, but the report called it a “warning that we are getting dangerously close”.
“Virtually every heatwave has been made hotter and more likely because of climate change,” said the report, When Risks Become Reality: Extreme Weather In 2024. “This signal is so clear and so widespread that in many parts of the world we no longer need individual attribution studies to say this with confidence.”
The El Nino effect, which naturally warms the Pacific Ocean and influences meteorological conditions around the world, was another factor behind 2024's extreme events. But researchers said climate change played a bigger role and “increasingly overrides other natural phenomena affecting the weather”.
During 2024, Saudi Arabia said more than 2,500 Hajj pilgrims suffered heat exhaustion in 51.8°C temperatures, while the Paris Olympics and football's Africa Cup of Nations took place in sweltering heat. In April, doctors in Mali reported a surge in excess deaths as temperatures climbed to nearly 50°C. Hot seas and warmer air were also blamed for fuelling more destructive storms, including Hurricane Helene and Typhoon Gaemi, and downpours in the UAE and in North America.
Vulnerable nations in the Caribbean and the Pacific topped the table of “risky heat days”, with a typical person in Nauru facing 173 days of extreme conditions, almost half the year. Most Middle East countries were above the 41-day global average, as Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Qatar saw eight to 10 extra weeks of unusual heat.
Days classified as “risky” were those that people would consider hot based on their local experience, defined as temperatures that would have been in the warmest 10 per cent from 1991 to 2020. In cooler Europe, three to four weeks of unusual heat were typical – in countries such as Britain, Germany and France.
Scientists said early warning systems were one of the cheapest and most effective ways to cut heat deaths. Although most extreme weather is well forecast, warnings should be targeted, given days ahead of dangerous conditions, and give clear instructions on what people need to do, they said.
“People don’t have to die in heatwaves. But if we can’t communicate convincingly: ‘but actually a lot of people are dying’, it’s much harder to raise this awareness,” said Friederike Otto, an Imperial College London scientist who jointly runs World Weather Attribution. “Heatwaves are by far the deadliest extreme event, and they are the extreme events where climate change is a real game changer.”
The five pillars of Islam
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Profile box
Founders: Michele Ferrario, Nino Ulsamer and Freddy Lim
Started: established in 2016 and launched in July 2017
Based: Singapore, with offices in the UAE, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand
Sector: FinTech, wealth management
Initial investment: $500,000 in seed round 1 in 2016; $2.2m in seed round 2 in 2017; $5m in series A round in 2018; $12m in series B round in 2019; $16m in series C round in 2020 and $25m in series D round in 2021
Current staff: more than 160 employees
Stage: series D
Investors: EightRoads Ventures, Square Peg Capital, Sequoia Capital India
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
The most expensive investment mistake you will ever make
When is the best time to start saving in a pension? The answer is simple – at the earliest possible moment. The first pound, euro, dollar or dirham you invest is the most valuable, as it has so much longer to grow in value. If you start in your twenties, it could be invested for 40 years or more, which means you have decades for compound interest to work its magic.
“You get growth upon growth upon growth, followed by more growth. The earlier you start the process, the more it will all roll up,” says Chris Davies, chartered financial planner at The Fry Group in Dubai.
This table shows how much you would have in your pension at age 65, depending on when you start and how much you pay in (it assumes your investments grow 7 per cent a year after charges and you have no other savings).
|
Age
|
$250 a month
|
$500 a month
|
$1,000 a month
|
|
25
|
$640,829
|
$1,281,657
|
$2,563,315
|
|
35
|
$303,219
|
$606,439
|
$1,212,877
|
|
45
|
$131,596
|
$263,191
|
$526,382
|
|
55
|
$44,351
|
$88,702
|
$177,403
|
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UNpaid bills:
Countries with largest unpaid bill for UN budget in 2019
USA – $1.055 billion
Brazil – $143 million
Argentina – $52 million
Mexico – $36 million
Iran – $27 million
Israel – $18 million
Venezuela – $17 million
Korea – $10 million
Countries with largest unpaid bill for UN peacekeeping operations in 2019
USA – $2.38 billion
Brazil – $287 million
Spain – $110 million
France – $103 million
Ukraine – $100 million
23-man shortlist for next six Hall of Fame inductees
Tony Adams, David Beckham, Dennis Bergkamp, Sol Campbell, Eric Cantona, Andrew Cole, Ashley Cole, Didier Drogba, Les Ferdinand, Rio Ferdinand, Robbie Fowler, Steven Gerrard, Roy Keane, Frank Lampard, Matt Le Tissier, Michael Owen, Peter Schmeichel, Paul Scholes, John Terry, Robin van Persie, Nemanja Vidic, Patrick Viera, Ian Wright.
Brolliology: A History of the Umbrella in Life and Literature
By Marion Rankine
Melville House
MATCH INFO
Al Jazira 3 (O Abdulrahman 43', Kenno 82', Mabkhout 90 4')
Al Ain 1 (Laba 39')
Red cards: Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain)
Dr Amal Khalid Alias revealed a recent case of a woman with daughters, who specifically wanted a boy.
A semen analysis of the father showed abnormal sperm so the couple required IVF.
Out of 21 eggs collected, six were unused leaving 15 suitable for IVF.
A specific procedure was used, called intracytoplasmic sperm injection where a single sperm cell is inserted into the egg.
On day three of the process, 14 embryos were biopsied for gender selection.
The next day, a pre-implantation genetic report revealed four normal male embryos, three female and seven abnormal samples.
Day five of the treatment saw two male embryos transferred to the patient.
The woman recorded a positive pregnancy test two weeks later.
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Expo details
Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia
The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.
It is expected to attract 25 million visits
Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.
More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020
The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area
It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South
Results
Women finals: 48kg - Urantsetseg Munkhbat (MGL) bt Distria Krasniqi (KOS); 52kg - Odette Guiffrida (ITA) bt Majlinda Kelmendi (KOS); 57kg - Nora Gjakova (KOS) bt Anastasiia Konkina (Rus)
Men’s finals: 60kg - Amiran Papinashvili (GEO) bt Francisco Garrigos (ESP); 66kg - Vazha Margvelashvili (Geo) bt Yerlan Serikzhanov (KAZ)
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
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