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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Environment
Jonathan Watts

World ‘not prepared’ for climate disasters after warmest ever January

A man crosses a flooded street in Santa Barbara, California, on 4 February 2024.
A man crosses a flooded street in Santa Barbara, California, on 4 February 2024. Photograph: Erick Madrid/EPA

From deadly floods in California to devastating fires in Chile, scientists say the world is not prepared for the climate disasters that are hitting with increasing frequency as human-driven global heating continues to break records.

The hottest year in history has been followed by the warmest ever January. Many regions in the northern hemisphere are sweltering in heatwaves that would be more normal in June. Marine scientists are shocked by the prolonged and intense heat at the surface of the oceans.

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