Climate crisis has caused over 570,000 deaths globally in a decade, shows report

Catastrophic flooding. The worst drought in 40 years. A tropical cyclone causing a scare, of all places, in Kenya.

Over the years, the impacts of climate change have been accelerating, and according to a new report by the World Weather Attribution (WWA), the severity has led to more than 570,000 deaths globally in just 10 years.

The researchers involved in this study analysed 10 of the most devastating weather events since 2004, including tropical cyclones, heatwaves, floods and droughts, each linked to human activities.  These events, ranging from the drought experienced in East Africa to Europe’s record-breaking heatwaves, showed a clear pattern of increased frequency, intensity, and destructive potential due to climate change. With global temperatures already at an average of 1.3 degrees above pre-industrial levels, and 2024 recording the highest global temperatures so far, the study revealed how continued warming could lead to even more catastrophic weather events.

The study also revisited the notorious 2010 Russian heatwave and concluded that such high temperatures are now 3,000-7,000 times more likely due to climate change. In Africa, climate change’s impact is even more pronounced. The study highlighted the 2020-2023 drought that hit Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia as an example of a humanitarian disaster exacerbated by climate change. While droughts are not new in Africa, rising global temperatures have increased the severity and frequency of such events, the report shows, depleting water supplies and making survival increasingly difficult for local communities. Early this year, floods killed over 200 people and displaced more than 150,000 in Kenya.

The WWA report stresses that Africa’s vulnerability, especially in low-income regions, is exacerbated by limited access to early warning systems, insufficient infrastructure, and widespread poverty. Rural communities, which rely on agriculture, are especially vulnerable to climate extremes and prolonged droughts can decimate crops, disrupt food supply chains, and create economic shocks that deepen poverty.

“At the turn of the century, climate change was often thought of as a faraway, distant threat. But today, we have 20 years of attribution science directly linking climate change with record-breaking heatwaves, droughts, wildfires and storms. The body of evidence linking extreme weather to climate change will continue to grow as the climate continues to warm and we develop more attribution methods,” Dr Sjoukje Philip, a researcher at the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, who co-authored the study, said.

Roop Singh, head of Urban and Attribution at the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, warned: “The massive death tolls we keep seeing in extreme weather show we are not well prepared for 1.3 degrees Celsius of warming, let alone 1.5  or 2 degrees Celsius. Every country needs to prepare for the future.”

In addition to building resilient infrastructure, experts, argue countries in the global south should be supported in the form of grants to adapt to climate change. Key recommendations from the report include enhancing early warning systems, investing in climate-resilient urban planning, and implementing policies that protect the most vulnerable populations. 

Dr Joyce Kimutai, a Kenyan researcher with the WWA and Centre for Environmental Policy at Imperial College London, emphasised the urgency of international climate action. “This study is another reminder of what’s at stake at COP29. Climate change continues to kill thousands of people and force millions from their homes each year.” She added: “This year has been no different – from killer floods in Africa and Europe to supercharged hurricanes that hit the US, to the drought gripping the Amazon rainforest.”

As the world gathers in Baku, Azerbaijan for COP29 in November, Dr Joyce Kimutai, a climate scientist with Kenya Met, calls for an accelerated transition away from fossil fuels, noting it as the primary reason we are now experiencing such dangerous weather.

“We also need to see meaningful finance pledged to the loss and damage fund. The 700 US dollars million pledged at COP28 is just a drop in the bucket compared to the billions in damages that poor countries experience each year.”

Friederike Otto, senior lecturer at the Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London who co-authored the study stated: “Tackling climate change isn’t about targets or reports or global meetings – it is about people. The poorest, most vulnerable people suffer the most in extreme weather events worsened by climate change.

“We have the technology and knowledge to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy, lower demand and build a safer, healthier world. But, we need political leaders to step up and make it happen.”

The WWA report calls on all nations, particularly high-emission countries, to cut greenhouse gas emissions swiftly. The scientific community has repeatedly warned that every fraction of a degree of warming will bring more frequent and intense weather events, with devastating consequences globally. 

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