The story so far: Asia has warmed faster than the global average since 1960, the World Meteorological Organisation’s 2023 ‘State of the Climate in Asia’ report has said. According to the report, released on April 23, the Asian continent is struggling with extreme climate events like floods and heatwaves, with record-breaking temperatures and precipitation reported across its countries. It also repeated that the year 2023 was the warmest on record around the world. The State of Climate report also noted an “alarming gap” between climate projections and the ability of Asian countries to adapt to and mitigate climate change and its impacts.
What toll did heat exact on Asia?
More than 2,000 people were killed and more than nine million were affected by extreme climate events across Asia in 2023. More than 80% of these events were related to storms and floods.
The report also recorded several parts experiencing severe heat waves, leading to multiple fatalities, but acknowledged that heat-related mortality is widely underreported. In India, severe heat waves in April and June killed around 110 people by heat stroke (a condition in which the body temperature increases beyond 40 degrees C).
A prolonged heat wave engulfed large parts of South and South-East Asia in April and May, affecting areas from Bangladesh and eastern India to southern China. Local authorities also reported extraordinary temperatures from Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam. In particular, North China experienced a significant heatwave from June 21 to July 9. The highest temperature recorded at the Beijing Observatory was 41.1 degrees C, the second highest since records began in 1951.
Japan also experienced its hottest summer on record since 1898. Jeddah and Wejh in Saudi Arabia also experienced one heatwave each.
Heat tormented marine ecosystems as well. The most severe to extreme heat waves occurred in a large part of the Arctic Ocean, in the Eastern Arabian Sea, and the Northern Pacific, lasting three to five months.
How did floods and storms affect Asia?
Similarly, tropical cyclone Mocha, which affected Myanmar and Bangladesh in May 2023, was the strongest cyclone in the Bay of Bengal in the last decade. Shortly after, floods, landslides, and lightning killed around 600 people across India, Pakistan, and Nepal in June and July 2023.
In India, floods and landslides in August 2023, primarily in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, killed at least 25 and damaged a lot of infrastructure. Lightning by itself accounted for 1,200 deaths around India through the year.
The Hong Kong Observatory headquarters recorded an hourly rainfall total of 158.1 mm on September 7, the highest since records began in 1884. Intense short-duration rainstorms in Yemen affected over 165,000 people and killed around 30.
Even Madinah in Saudi Arabia recorded a historically high amount of rain, on January 2. In August and September, high precipitation linked to extratropical cyclones in Russia’s far east caused one of the largest disasters of the recent decade in terms of duration, extent, and economic losses. Intense rains also triggered flash floods in Dubai and surrounding areas in November.
How well can Asia spot a coming disaster?
An early-warning system is an integrated process that monitors, predicts, and forecasts hazards. It also includes activities related to risk-assessment, communications, and preparedness that allow individuals, communities, governments, businesses, etc. to take timely action to mitigate risks. Experts have said such systems are integral parts of countries’ response to the increasing risk of natural disasters.
Thanks to such systems, for example, authorities in Bangladesh had a day’s head-start to prepare for Cyclone Mocha and take anticipatory action in Cox’s Bazar, which allowed local communities to better survive its landfall. Rakhine in Myanmar also received an early warning, the iffy presence of aid agencies and lacklustre help from the military establishment translated to little action on the ground, Associated Press reported.
Twenty-one Asian countries reported the status of their early warning systems to the U.N. According to the U.N. Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, the average composite score for the availability of and access to multi‑hazard early warning systems was 0.46 out of 1 in Asia; 0.58 for preparedness to respond; and 0.50 for observation and forecasting. To compare, the world scored 0.35, 0.78, and 0.33, respectively, on average on these counts. Warning and dissemination was the strongest area under the framework for Asia while risk knowledge was the weakest.
According to the report, fewer than half of all Asian countries have the tools with which to mitigate climate change impact.
What do these findings mean for India?
“The findings of the report are in sync with the analysis of our agency,” Sreejith O.P., scientist with the India Meteorological Department, Pune and a lead author on the State of Climate in Asia report, said to The Hindu.
“Extreme climate events are rising globally, including in India. But with improved preparedness, we can minimise the damage. We used early warnings when Cyclone Mocha, one of the strongest in the Bay of Bengal, was about to hit. Earlier, similar cyclones have killed thousands of people,” he added.
While Dr. Sreejith commended India’s early preparedness when dealing with cyclones, he also said that managing deaths and destruction caused by lightning needs improvement. “The response time for lightning is very less. Although we have built mobile applications and other tools, marginalised communities are unable to utilise it,” he said. According to Dr. Sreejith, some groups like farmers who work in fields, who are adversely impacted by lightning, are already out and away from sources of information by the time an alert can be sent. “We are working on improving this,” he said.
“While India has historically demonstrated commendable resilience in responding to floods, storms, and droughts, the new and escalating challenges posed by climate change—such as unprecedented heatwaves, the retreat of glaciers, and rising sea levels—reveal that our preparedness is alarmingly inadequate,” Harjeet Singh, Global Engagement Director at the Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative said.
According to Mr. Singh, the report highlights India’s vulnerability to the impacts of climate change. “These emerging threats require urgent attention and a strategic overhaul of our current policies and adaptation strategies. It is crucial that we empower our communities and local governments with the necessary resources and policies to effectively combat these evolving climatic adversities,” he added.
- More than 2,000 people were killed and more than nine million were affected by extreme climate events across Asia in 2023
- Similarly, tropical cyclone Mocha, which affected Myanmar and Bangladesh in May 2023, was the strongest cyclone in the Bay of Bengal in the last decade.
- An early-warning system is an integrated process that monitors, predicts, and forecasts hazards.
