A look at the most devastating natural disasters that affected both the Latin American region and the rest of the world. teleSUR
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00:00Hi, how are you doing?
00:12Welcome to our news brief of the climate crisis occurring by this year, 2024.
00:18I am Aron Romero.
00:20Let's start right away with the information.
00:50Several countries in the Americas where heat is
01:19due in the second semester of 2024 by hurricanes that caused multiple losses in their passages.
01:27On this issue, we present a brief account of the climate that left a message to the
01:31international community.
01:36Tropical storm Beryl was formed on June 29, and it quickly became a hurricane.
01:41During its journey through the Caribbean to North America, it triggered great material
01:46damages and at least 60 deaths.
01:50On September 23, 2024, Hurricane Chung entered Marquelia, two hours from Acapulco.
01:57For four days, the city's weather station registered 80% of precipitations it normally
02:02receives in a year.
02:03Subsequently, 40,000 houses were affected.
02:07This weather phenomenon was followed by Hélène, a category 5 landfall on September 27 in the
02:12United States.
02:13As it progressed, the cyclone weakened into a tropical depression, killing at least 227
02:21people and affecting around 1 million.
02:27On October 5, Milton appears in the Gulf of Mexico, and during its trajectory, it reached
02:33category 5, given the intensity of its wind in the Atlantic.
02:37U.S. authorities ordered the evacuation of Florida.
02:40In spite of the fact that this phenomenon impacted category 3, it claimed at least 24
02:45lives.
02:49The hurricane was followed by Oscar, which made landfall in Cuba in mid-October.
02:53It was a category 1 hurricane, and as it passed through the eastern part of the Caribbean
02:58country, it was downgraded to a tropical storm.
03:01Oscar claimed eight lives and two missing.
03:06Two weeks after the events, the tropical storm Rafael formed in the Caribbean Sea and
03:12became a category 3 hurricane.
03:15Rafael impacted Cuba on November 6.
03:19It caused important material damages, but thanks to the effectiveness of the prevention
03:24agencies, no human losses were reported.
03:27Likewise, this year, 2024, the world was a victim of heavy floods, which hit dozens of
03:35families and infrastructures.
03:37Let's see the following coverage.
03:42In February, the Brazilian state of Acre suffered severe flooding due to the overflowing of
03:48the river due to persistent heavy rains.
03:51As a result, over 11,000 people had been affected in at least 17 cities.
04:00Uruguay was further impacted by heavy rainfalls that led to flooding in March, which made
04:07over 4,700 people leave their homes.
04:13In April, Moscow and Astana recorded several floods due to the overflowing of rivers such
04:19as the Ural, those of Siberia and Kazakhstan.
04:23As a result of the climate crisis, the situation led to the forced displacement of over 12
04:29hundred people between the two countries.
04:35Likewise, in Tanzania, 155 people lost their lives and some 200,000 were affected in April
04:43by downpours and floods intensified by the meteorological phenomenon of El Niño.
04:50Torrential rains damaged crops, housing and other infrastructures.
04:57Moreover, in May, Afghanistan experienced severe flooding in the north of the country,
05:05which left over 2,000 people affected and nearly 350 deaths.
05:10In June, the state of Rio Grande do Sul was affected by several floods that left at least
05:17572 deaths, 42 missing and 2.3 million people affected.
05:26Furthermore, in April, May and June, over 400,000 people were affected in Kenya as a
05:35result of floods caused by heavy rains, which also left some 315 people dead and damaged
05:45infrastructures.
05:48Let's go to West Africa, where in August, at least 353,200 Nigerians were impacted by
05:56floods that claimed over 217 lives and left 109 others homeless.
06:08At least 7,000 Polish people in Eastern Europe had been hit by severe flooding in September,
06:17which left extensive material damages estimated at over $1.4 million.
06:24In November, Colombia declared a red alert in 20 out of the 32 departments that make
06:30up the country, of which Antioquia, Chocó and Santander were the most impacted by the
06:37severe floods, which left over 180,000 people affected.
06:46Extreme weather events throughout the year also reached Europe, affecting countries that
06:51in theory have more advanced economies and cutting-edge technologies that make storms
06:56more predictable.
06:57This was the case in Spain, however.
07:00Desolated high-level depression, better known as DENA, affected the Spanish region of Valencia,
07:06What was the damage caused by this phenomenon?
07:08Let's see the following summary.
07:14An isolated depression at high levels, alias DENA, is an air mass that detaches from a
07:20very cold current and descends over a warm air mass, producing large atmospheric disturbances
07:27accompanied by downpours.
07:31DENA, during its passage through Spain, triggered at least 222 deaths, over 1 million people
07:39affected, countless the material damages.
07:44After torrential dead rains, which caused flooding, citizens found the lack of preventive
07:49response by local authorities.
07:53The people's rejection of them grew, which was reflected on the visit of the Spanish
07:57Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and King Felipe VI, where they were booed by the population.
08:08DENA continued its passage through Malaga, where it left multiple affectations.
08:14Authorities reported that during the second wave of the meteorological phenomenon, there
08:18were no deaths.
08:20The battered communities are in vulnerable conditions, so they are the high health authorities
08:26They consider that there is a high risk that the affected people could catch diseases such
08:32as leptospirosis and tetanus.
08:36This led the Ministry of Health to launch a document of health recommendations addressed
08:41to both the population and the volunteers who are helping in the area.
08:51Likewise, Asia recorded around 10 typhoons that caused heavy rains and floods that left
08:58thousands of dead, displaced people and countless structural damages.
09:07In July 2024, the Typhoon Gemi hit the Philippines, leaving at least 34 deaths due to landslides
09:14and floods that also forced hundreds of citizens to abandon their homes.
09:20After its passage through the Chinese region of Taiwan, the authorities decreed the suspension
09:24of activities.
09:27Over 600,000 people were affected by the weather phenomenon.
09:31Typhoon Yagi wreaked havoc in Southeast Asia at the end of August.
09:35Over 800 people lost their lives and half a million were evacuated.
09:40The United Nations Children's Fund reported that at least 6 million children were affected
09:45by Typhoon Yagi in several countries of Asia, and it warned of the risk of contracting contagious
09:51diseases due to the shortage of drinking water and sanitation.
09:56The arrival of Typhoon Kraton in September wreaked havoc during its transit through the
10:01Chinese region of Taiwan, bringing about 10,000 displaced and over 15 deaths.
10:06A few days later, Typhoon Trami formed, causing damage in the Philippines and affecting over
10:12four million people.
10:14The equivalent of more than two months of precipitation fell in just 24 hours.
10:20Cold rain ended the typhoon-rich season in 2024, which made landfall in Taiwan, with
10:26wind gusts exceeding 230 km per hour, accompanied by torrential rains, raising awareness in
10:33the south and east of the island.
10:37And with this information, let's have a break.
10:40But before we materialize, to have the opportunity to mull over the impact of this climate crisis
10:48and to take necessary measures to reduce carbon dioxide, because we can mark the difference
10:54and safeguard the next generations.
10:57Climate change is a real threat and alarming, occurring due to greenhouse gases like the
11:06carbon dioxide generated to the atmosphere due to the burning of hydrocarbons and deforestation.
11:15So it is our goal to reduce these toxic gases through the reduction of energy, through the
11:24more sustainable means of transport, the use of green energy, and the promotion of agricultural
11:31and forest practices.
11:34We must work together to protect our planet and secure a sustainable future for next generations.
11:41Thank you for staying tuned with us, and it is that the upturn in the annual drought
12:06periods due to climate change makes the vegetation more prone to wildfires, and the Latin American
12:11region suffers an unprecedented crisis.
12:14Our colleague Ignacio Lemus has the details.
12:18It doesn't matter in which place of South America, it is sure that in September you
12:26suffered the droughts or burning downs.
12:32And so Latin America was not only in, and communications studies analyzed the last 40 years in South America,
12:44and so droughts were more frequent and severe, and in the Great Chaco and in the Maracaibo
12:53period, from 1971 and 2000, occurred 20 days a year, but in the latest decades were about
13:0560-70 days per year.
13:08In 2024 Bolivia registered 4 million acres burned, and so the government declared a national
13:18disaster.
13:19The declaration of a national disaster implies to hold responsibility as a state, not having
13:25the capacity, not having the technical or economic capacity to face this disaster.
13:30Paraguay also lost 70,000 acres.
13:34The indigenous territory suffered 12 of them.
13:40We protect nature, especially our brothers and sisters who are not hired.
13:50Brazil registered over 80,000 in September fires, and over 30% of the whole planet, and
14:03so we are losing forests, and we are being intoxicated because these burnings have impact
14:13on our health, on our lungs, and so this smoke is just there on our lungs, on our heart,
14:28and it's associated with lung cancer.
14:30In Peru, over 15 people died, and Argentina lost over 50,000 hectares in single province,
14:41and so the state was absent.
14:44In Cordoba, those who fight against the wildfires are persecuted by authorities, and so one
14:55of the volunteers who fight off the wildfires, his van was burned down.
15:04In Ecuador, over 30,000 hectares were burned down, and so this is very painful, and the
15:14whole change is the microorganism bacteria are the most affected, and this is the one
15:25that is going to cost more time to recover.
15:28Despite the effects of the greenhouse gases, South America is one of the most affected
15:34regions for the global warming.
15:38The articulation of effective measures are urgent needs, so Latin America was not the
15:49only one to face a strong wildfire season during this 2024, and many of these fires
15:57do not start spontaneously.
15:59In the first quarter of the year, wildfires broke out in Texas, in southern United States,
16:06destroying over one million acres.
16:09Authorities described this phenomenon as one of the largest and most destructive wildfires
16:14ever in the Texas history since 1825.
16:20In China, wildfires had remained active for several consecutive days in June.
16:26Firefighters worked on extinguishing the fire that affected the north of Shanxi province.
16:33In order to put out the fire, authorities decided to cause artificial rainfalls due
16:37to high temperatures and weather conditions made it difficult to contain the fire.
16:47As a result of high temperatures in July, Canada recorded wildfires that damaged at
16:53least 32,000 hectares in Jasper National Park, considered one of the country's main natural areas.
17:04Greece did not escape the effects of the climate crisis and for several days in August suffered
17:10wildfires which spread from the north coast to the south due to strong winds that exceeded
17:1630 kilometers per hour.
17:19Those authorities ordered the evacuation of over 2,000 people whose lives were at risk.
17:25Therefore, the European Union sent aid from Italy, France, Czechia and Romania.
17:34In addition to climatic events, nations impacted by environmental change also experienced damage
17:43from tectonic shifts.
17:45Large and medium-intensity earthquakes caused damages in Cuba, Japan, Taiwan, Mexico and
17:51Guatemala.
17:52Here are the details.
17:54In Japan, in January, there was a 7.6 earthquake that left 206 deaths and at least 567 injured.
18:05In view of the situation, tsunami warnings were activated which led thousands of people
18:10to take refuge in shelters.
18:13The Chinese province of Taiwan was the scene of a 7.2 magnitude earthquake that triggered
18:1917 deaths, 1,100 injuries and millions of dollars in losses in the tourism and education sectors.
18:27According to estimates, it is the most powerful earthquake to hit the country in the past quarter
18:31of a century.
18:32In May, in Guatemala and Mexico, a 6.5 magnitude earthquake was registered which caused large
18:38slides in different highways without leaving any injuries or incidents.
18:42So far this year, 1,325 earthquakes have been recorded with epicenters in Chiapas,
18:49occupying the third position on a national level, only behind Oaxaca and Guerrero.
18:55In Cuba, an earthquake was registered in November 2024.
18:59The first shock was of magnitude 6 and the second one of magnitude 6.7.
19:04Both caused damages to approximately 8,000 houses in the whole Rama province.
19:09Besides Pilar, seven other municipalities were affected.
19:12The annual brief of the National Center for Seismological Research indicated that Cuba
19:17registered a total of 7,475 earthquakes in 2024, of which 14 were perceptible.
19:25The magnitudes range from less than 3 to 5.9 on the Richter scale.
19:32Despite scientific breakthroughs, volcanoes are still unpredictable and eruptions have
19:37become more recurrent in recent years.
19:39In this report, we show you a summary of the activity of some volcanoes during this year 2024.
19:49Indonesia is home to over 400 volcanoes, of which at least 129 are still active and 65
19:58are classified as dangerous.
20:02Of these, about three volcanoes registered activity during the year, leading to evacuating
20:09thousands of people.
20:11In Nicaragua, gas and ash explosions were recorded from the Concepción volcano, with
20:19a column height of approximately 2 km from the edge of the crater.
20:26Although the magnitude of the phenomenon is classified as low to medium, a thin layer
20:32of ash with a thickness of barely 1 mm covered everything in its path, with some small tremors
20:40associated with the explosion.
20:45Likewise, in Iceland, a volcanic eruption was reported, and due to the danger of the
20:51seismic activity, a state of emergency was declared in the town of GrindavÃk and in
20:58the Blue Lagoon.
20:59This is the fifth volcanic eruption in the area since December 2023.
21:07No loss of life was reported in any of them, only material damages.
21:13Likewise, different global regions of the Earth suffer repeated heat waves in which
21:18they report extreme temperatures above what any global warming model can predict or explain.
21:24Let's see more about it.
21:29According to the World Health Organization, over 176,000 people die every year in Europe
21:37from defects of heat.
21:39Countries such as Morocco, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India and Mexico report the highest rates
21:44of heat stress.
21:46High temperatures cause at least 20 deaths in Morocco, Pakistan and Bangladesh with registered
21:5334 deaths, while India, the United States and Mexico reported 38 deaths, according to
21:59briefings from the world's health governing entity.
22:03Meanwhile, meteorological authorities in Brazil are warning of the risk in the Amazon, where
22:09maximum temperatures exceeding 5 degrees Celsius are being recorded, although they forecast
22:15a new climatic event for the end of 2024 that could mitigate the high temperatures
22:20resulting from the La Niña phenomenon.
22:23Within the 29th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention
22:29on Climate Change, COP29, had several important outcomes, including climate finance.
22:36COP29 agreed on tripling funding to developing countries from $100 billion to $300 billion
22:44a year by 2035.
22:47The second issue was the Declaration on Climate Action for the Tourism Sector, where over
22:5250 countries supported this proposal, which recognizes the impact of climate change on
22:57tourism and its potential to adjust to climate.
23:00Another important affair was the Dialogue on the Implementation of the Global Stock
23:05Take, which was held in the United Arab Emirates and read on the approach to financing and
23:10the sessions of the subsidiary bodies from June 2025.
23:14And lastly, COP29 focused on ensuring that the most vulnerable countries have the resources
23:21to respond to the climate crisis.
23:25Likewise, during its Vancouver speech, the UN Secretary-General urged to favor the most
23:43humble leaders.
23:45You must do more to protect your peoples.
23:48The most vulnerable are just affected by these natural disasters.
23:57And so, there could be losses of $350 billion.
24:12So, that was stated by Gutierrez.
24:18We come to the end of the program, but before we leave you with the material called Garden
24:22of Paradise by the colleague group, Monsieur Perrin, and the Tumkamakenyo group, Pehuko,
24:28the song, through each song, shows the feeling of a biodiverse country that constantly seeks
24:33peace with nature, where mangroves are essential for the welfare of communities, symbolizing
24:39resilience to the climate crisis and the loss of biodiversity.
24:45See you next time.