The average temperature was 1.03 degrees higher than the average since 1961.
The year 2024 was the warmest in China since records began in 1961, the China Meteorological Administration announced on Wednesday. TASR informs about it according to the reports of the AFP and Reuters agencies.
China is the largest producer of greenhouse gases, which scientists say are causing global warming. However, Beijing has pledged that carbon dioxide emissions will peak in 2030 and be reduced to zero by 2060.
The Met Office said that in 2024 “the national average temperature was 10.92 degrees Celsius, 1.03 degrees above average and the warmest year since full records began in 1961”. All ten warmest years since 1961 occurred in the 21st century, the authority added.
In its year-end report, the United Nations announced that 2024 is expected to be the warmest year on record.
Due to more precipitation and storms, the warm weather led to an increase in electricity consumption
Last year’s warm weather, accompanied by stronger storms and more precipitation, led to an increase in electricity consumption in China, writes Reuters. Dozens of people died and thousands more were evacuated during floods in China last year. In May, a highway in southern China collapsed after days of persistent rain, killing 48 people.
Natural disasters will cause economic losses of $310 billion in 2024, according to the Swiss insurance company Swiss Re.
