According to the report of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) titled “State of the Climate in Asia 2024,” Asia warms at almost twice the global average, showing disastrous environmental and economic impacts. The report unveils that in 2024, the average temperature of Asia was around 1.04 °C more than the baseline 1991-2020, turning out to be either the warmest or second warmest of Asia in history.
One of the hottest-ever regions in the Asia oceans has experienced heatwaves as the sea temperature record hit very high levels. The level of sea surface warming in the last decade in Asia has been almost twofold when compared to the world average. The increase in sea level on both sides of the Pacific and Indian Oceans has also been growing at a rate higher than the rest of the world, making low-lying coastal people more exposed.
Asian glaciers have been devastated. Most of the glaciers in the central Himalaya and Tian Shan in 2024 lost mass, with 23 out of 24 glaciers under survey. Such losses increase the vulnerability of the glacial lake outburst floods and landslides, which are major threats to the water security of millions on the territory.
There is also a drastic fall in snow cover in the boreal spring (March to May), with a mean reduction of 215,000 square kilometers per decade over the past 28 years. Snow cover aged 14.72 million square kilometers in spring 2024, as we would expect using average lows in the past.
In April through November 2024, heat waves broke the monthly temperature records in Japan, South Korea, and China. Asian regions in the south, the Central, and the West Asia were also affected. The highest ever temperature was registered in Myanmar, 48.2 °C.
There were extreme weather events such as tropical cyclones, droughts, and heavy rainfall that led to the loss of many lives and significant economic losses in the region. According to WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo, there has to be a serious hustle because the changing climate indicators across the region will have their effects on both societies, economies, and ecosystems.
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