Climate crisis-driven disasters are disproportionately decimating Asia – affecting millions

Climate crisis-driven disasters are disproportionately decimating Asia. These are the findings of a new UN report on weather-related disasters in 2023.

Although global temperatures hit record highs last year, the UN’s weather and climate agency pointed out that Asia was warming at a particularly rapid pace. Floods in South Korea caused landslides killing more than 40 people.

Meanwhile, an increase in rain created dangerous conditions in the Himalayas. Flooding and storms were the most common causes of both economic damage and loss of life. 

Notably, temperatures in Asia were nearly two degrees above the 1961 to 1990 average last year – meaning they are increasing faster than the global average. 

The State of the Climate in Asia 2023 report highlighted the accelerating rate of key climate crisis indicators. These include surface temperature, glacier retreat, and sea level rise. Without action, the report identified potentially serious repercussions for societies, economies, and ecosystems.

World Meteorological Organization (WMO) chief Celeste Saulo said that “the reports conclusions are sobering”. Moreover, he argued that:

Many countries in the region experienced their hottest year on record in 2023, along with a barrage of extreme conditions, from droughts and heatwaves 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.

Climate crisis: glaciers shrinking at an alarming rate

The WMO warned that melting glaciers threaten Asia’s future water security, meaning the impact on the region becomes even more severe. 

The Tibetan Plateau is home to the largest volume of ice outside of the polar ice caps, with glaciers in the High-Mountain Asia region covering approximately 100,000km2. Since 1980, most of these glaciers have been shrinking at an alarming rate. Record breaking high temperatures and unusually dry conditions exacerbated this, with 20 out of 22 glaciers showing continued mass loss.

In 2023, the average near-surface temperature over Asia was the second highest on record – at 0.91°c above the same figure from 1991 to 2020.

Western Siberia to Central Asia recorded particularly high temperatures, along with eastern China to Japan. The hottest summer on record was also recorded in Japan. 

Below-normal rain levels in southwest China triggered a drought, which caused 870,000 people to be in need of livelihood assistance.

The WMO added: 

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

The report also identified the highest ever sea-surface temperatures in the northwest Pacific Ocean.

Some sea surfaces are heating up at more than three times the average of global sea surface temperatures. These include the Kuroshio current system – a north-flowing, warm ocean current on the west side of the North Pacific Ocean basin, along with the Arabian Sea, the Southern Barents Sea, the Southern Kara Sea, and the South-Eastern Laptev Sea.

Actions must mirror the urgency of the situation

In 2023 alone, 79 disasters from water-related weather hazards were reported in Asia. 80% of these were floods and storms. In total, they directly affected over nine million people, with more than 2,000 people losing their lives. 

The WMO noted Asia’s high level of vulnerability to climate crisis-induced adverse weather events:  

Floods were the leading cause of death in reported events in 2023 by a substantial margin

In Hong Kong, they recorded 158.1 millimetres of rainfall in one hour on 7 September. Torrential flooding took hold of much of the city as a result of typhoon Haikui, the fourth tropical cyclone to hit Hong Kong in 2023. This is the highest level of rainfall since 1884, when records began.

Saulo ended by saying: 

It is imperative that our actions and strategies mirror the urgency of these times. 

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to the evolving climate is not merely an option, but a fundamental necessity.

Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse

Featured image via Wikimedia