Warming faster than rest of world, Asia most disaster-hit

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 23

Asia is warming faster than the global average with the warming trend nearly doubling since the 1961–1990 period, a new report from the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said on Tuesday.

Water-related hazards are top threat

• Climate change and extreme weather impacting hit Asia hard
• Long-term warming trend accelerating
• Asia emerges as the world’s most disaster-prone region
• Water-related hazards are top threat, but extreme heat is becoming more severe
• Melting glaciers threaten future water security
• Sea surface temperatures and ocean heat hit record high

WMO said Asia remained the world’s most disaster-hit region from weather, climate and water-related hazards in 2023.

Floods and storms caused the highest number of reported casualties and economic losses, whilst the impact of heat waves became more severe, researchers said urging government for policy interventions to address extreme events.

The report says many parts of Asia experienced extreme heat events in 2023. Japan experienced its hottest summer on record. China experienced 14 high temperature events in summer, with about 70 per cent of national meteorological stations exceeding 40°C and 16 stations breaking their temperature records and in India, severe heat waves in April and June resulted in about 110 reported fatalities due to heatstroke.

The State of the Climate in Asia 2023 report highlights the accelerating rate of key climate change indicators such as surface temperature, glacier retreat and sea level rise, which will have major repercussions for societies, economies and ecosystems in the region.

In 2023, sea-surface temperatures in the north-west Pacific Ocean were the highest on record. Even the Arctic Ocean suffered a marine heat wave.

“The report’s conclusions are sobering. Many countries in the region experienced their hottest year on record in 2023, along with a barrage of extreme conditions, from droughts and heat waves to floods and storms. Climate change exacerbated the frequency and severity of such events, profoundly impacting societies, economies, and most importantly, human lives and the environment that we live in,” said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo.

In 2023, a total of 79 disasters associated with hydrometeorological hazard events were reported in Asia, according to the Emergency Events Database.

Of these, over 80 per cent were related to flood and storm events, with more than 2,000 fatalities and nine million people directly affected. Despite the growing health risks posed by extreme heat, heat-related mortality is frequently not reported.

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