Climate and environment updates: October was 2nd warmest month on record, NOAA says

Hurricanes are getting stronger, and humans are primarily to blame. A new study from Climate Central adds to a growing body of evidence that human-amplified climate change is indeed leading to more intense storms.

The study, published in the journal Environmental Research: Climate, found that 84% of Atlantic hurricanes between 2019 and 2023 were, on average, 18 mph stronger because of climate change. That additional wind speed resulted in 30 hurricanes reaching an entire category higher in strength (Category 3 to Category 4 or Category 4 to Category 5, for example) compared to a world without human-amplified climate change.

The researchers say sea surface temperatures are being made hotter by global warming, fueling these rapidly intensifying cyclones. The authors cite Hurricane Milton as an example. They found that Milton intensified by 120 mph in under 36 hours. At the time, ocean temperatures were at record levels or near record levels, which Climate Central's Climate Shift Index: Ocean determined were made 400 to 800 times more likely by climate change.

Over the past half-century, the ocean has stored more than 90% of the excess energy trapped in Earth’s system by greenhouse gases and other factors, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

"Every hurricane in 2024 was stronger than it would have been 100 years ago," Dr. Daniel Gilford, climate scientist at Climate Central and lead author of the study and report, said in a statement. "Through record-breaking ocean warming, human carbon pollution is worsening hurricane catastrophes in our communities."

The researchers identified three storms between 2019 and 2023 that became Category 5 hurricanes, the highest level on the scale, because of our changing climate.

When the scientists applied the same study methodology to storms in 2024, they determined it was unlikely Beryl and Milton would have reached Category 5 status without the impact of climate change. And they found that every Atlantic hurricane in 2024 saw an increased maximum wind speed, ranging from 9 to 28 mph, because human-amplified climate change resulted in elevated ocean temperatures.

Since 1980, tropical cyclones, a generic term for hurricanes and tropical storms, have cost communities $1.4 trillion in damages and claimed more than 7,200 lives, according to The National Center for Environmental Information.

-ABC News Climate Unit's Matthew Glasser and ABC News meteorologist Dan Peck

On Tuesday, the Biden administration announced $325 million in funding to the Clean Technology Fund (CTF) for global clean energy projects. The funding comes as climate leadership conferences continue worldwide, with COP29 underway in Azerbaijan and the G20 summit in Brazil.

The Clean Technology Fund provides money for permanent climate projects for middle-income and developing countries, allowing them to jump the financial hurdle and implement much-needed new green tech and energy.

Projects range from implementing renewable energy sources, like solar and wind, to more efficient energy use in transportation.

Nine countries currently give money to the Fund through grants and loans. Operated by the World Bank, the program distributes money to eligible countries through global development banks.

This financial commitment is another example of the Biden administration trying to lock in climate funding and programs before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

Since 2022, the U.S. has contributed $1.56 billion in concessional loans to the fund, and in October of this year, they contributed another $20 million in grants. Since it was established in 2008, the Fund has contributed $7.28 billion in loans and grants globally.

A report released last week highlighted that advancing climate progress in middle-income countries is crucial for setting the world on a path to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. These countries are not only the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, but they also host the majority of the world’s nature and biodiversity.

-ABC News' Charlotte Slovin

As the world's nations try to decide on a plan of action for limiting the impacts of climate change, the head of the United Nations Environment Programme says reducing methane emissions could be the "emergency brake" the world needs.

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas responsible for about 30% of the rise in global temperatures since industrialization, according to the International Energy Agency.

"Reducing methane emissions this decade is our emergency brake in the climate remit," Martina Otto, head of the Secretariat, Climate and Clean Air Coalition at the UNEP, said at a press conference with the COP29 presidency.

"To cut the emergency we need to harness the fact that methane has a much higher global warming potential and is shorter lived in the atmosphere, which means we can curb near-term warming."

Tuesday is food, water and agriculture day at COP29 – an occasion marked this year by a new agreement to cut methane emissions from food waste.

Over 30 countries have already committed to the Declaration on Reducing Methane from Organic Waste, which targets methane emissions from organic waste like food. The move complements additional global efforts to tackle methane emissions, including the Global Methane Pledge, which aims to reduce methane emissions by 30% by 2030.

"Urgent work is needed to help the agricultural sectors adapt to a warming planet," COP29 lead negotiator Yalchin Rafiyev said.

Rafiyev explained that the Baku Harmoniya Climate Initiative for Farmers — an effort launched by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the COP29 presidency — will give farmers tools for building climate resilience and secure funding.

"We are also committed to taking every opportunity for mitigation, particularly on methane," Rafiyev said, noting previous COP's progress on methane emissions. "We must address all the major sources of methane emissions, including fossil fuels, agriculture and organic waste."

"Transforming agriculture and food systems is going to be critical if we are to achieve the Paris Agreement, whether it's on the side of adaptation and building resilience, or indeed on the side of mitigation," Kaveh Zahedi, director of the Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment at the FAO, said. "And on this food, agriculture and water day, we're so delighted that the cop 29 presidency has been shining a light on this."

-ABC News Climate Unit's Kelly Livingston

As COP29, the annual U.N. global climate conference, heads into its second and final week, the United Nations' top climate representative is reminding delegates of what's at stake if they fail to act now.

During his opening remarks on Monday, Simon Stiell, the U.N. climate change executive secretary, chastised the delegates, warning them that they are losing sight of the forest because they are "tussling over individual trees" and that "bluffing, brinksmanship and pre-mediated playbooks burn up precious time."

"So let's cut the theatrics and get down to real business," he said.

Later in the day, Stiell urged climate leaders and public officials to unite on adaptation policy and finance.

"This year, we saw how every bit of preparation – every policy, every plan – is the difference between life and death for millions of people around the world," Stiell said.

Stiell emphasized that we know how to adapt to our changing climate technologically but need the will to act.

"We have the tools, the science, the ability to achieve these outcomes," he said.

The biggest roadblock, he said, is ensuring countries have enough money to do the work.

"Of course, we cannot ignore the adaptation elephant in the room: there is a stark financial gap we must bridge," Stiell said.

According to Stiell, the expenses associated with adaptation are rapidly increasing, especially for developing nations. By 2030, these expenses could amount to $340 billion annually and soar to $565 billion annually by 2050.
Without proper funding, he said billions of lives are on the line.

"The IPCC's Working Group II report told us that almost half the human population live in climate vulnerable hotspots, where people are 15 times more likely to die from climate impacts," Stiell said.

Stiell encouraged public and private sector funders to rise to the occasion and meet global needs in new ways.

"Think beyond traditional grants and loans," Stiell said. "Philanthropies, the private sector, and bilateral donors must step up with the urgency that this crisis demands."

He added, "The funding exists. We need to unlock and unblock it."

-ABC News' Charlotte Slovin