Temperatures have noticeably risen in several countries in the Middle East and other regions around the world, prompting experts to warn that carbon pollution may lead to the Earth's temperature reaching more dangerous levels than ever before. In some Arab countries, this increase in temperature has resulted in the deaths of several individuals, as was the case in Saudi Arabia during the Hajj, where record high temperatures were recorded.
In the latest tally of deaths during the pilgrimage, two Arab diplomats reported that at least 323 Egyptian pilgrims died while performing the Hajj in Mecca. One diplomat stated, "All of them died due to the heat," except for one who suffered fatal injuries during a minor stampede among the crowd of pilgrims. The death toll was sourced from the hospital morgue in the Al-Mu’aisem neighborhood of Mecca.
In Egypt, temperatures in some provinces have reached levels categorized among the highest according to global measurements, with some areas hitting around 50 degrees Celsius, which has had negative consequences for citizens. The rise in temperatures in some northern Sudanese provinces and certain Upper Egypt regions led to the deaths of a number of Sudanese while being smuggled by land into Egyptian territory, in open vehicles used by traffickers.
According to the Sudanese news agency, several Sudanese died from heat strokes, and Sudanese newspapers reported that about 50 individuals perished on the roadway between Egypt and Sudan. The Egyptian Meteorological Authority announced a wave of extreme heat in most parts of the country starting Tuesday and lasting until the following Sunday.
As temperatures rise, Egyptian parliamentarians have called on electricity authorities not to reduce loads in Upper Egypt provinces, which have recorded temperatures exceeding 50 degrees Celsius, according to Egyptian newspapers.
### Ocean Temperatures
Ocean temperatures continue to break new records in 2024, confirming the ongoing trend from 2023, with temperatures exceeding previous records by a substantial margin, according to a report published by the American newspaper "The New York Times." With the conclusion of a year of unexpected global warmth, which already saw the average annual temperature rise to a record level in 2023, scientists expect 2024 to be even hotter, according to the "Washington Post."
Experts attribute the increased temperatures of the planet to the climatic phenomenon known as El Niño, which is nearing its peak, potentially driving global temperatures to rise similarly to what occurred in 2016. Ocean temperatures hit record highs during the past months of this year, confirming the ongoing trend from 2023, with temperatures surpassing previous records significantly, as reported by "The New York Times."
According to the European Union-funded climate research institution "Copernicus," the global average sea surface temperature reached a new peak of 21.07 degrees Celsius (or 69.93 degrees Fahrenheit) this past March. Global temperatures are rising in the long term due to the burning of fossil fuels, which adds greenhouse gases that contribute to warming the planet.
Climate change has so far caused a rise in the global average temperature by about 1.2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial average temperatures. With the end of the year of unexpected global warmth, which already saw the average annual temperature rise to a record level in 2023, scientists currently expect 2024 to be hotter, according to the "Washington Post."
A report from a team of researchers published on the fifth of this month recommended that governments plant more trees and deploy technologies to increase the amount of carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere each year to four times the current amount to achieve global climate goals. The term "carbon dioxide removal" refers to a range of processes aimed at isolating carbon dioxide that is already in the air, including traditional methods such as reforestation, as well as potentially large-scale solutions like biofuels, cultivating algae in the oceans, and using filters that capture carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere, according to Reuters.
The report, which involved more than 50 international experts, concluded that currently, the carbon dioxide removal system eliminates about two billion tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year. However, this number needs to rise to about seven to nine billion tons if we want to keep temperature increases below the critical level of 1.5 degrees Celsius.
