The average annual near-surface temperature in Asia in 2023 was the second highest on record
Geneva:
Asia was the region in the world hardest hit by climate and meteorological disasters in 2023, the United Nations said on Tuesday, with floods and storms being the main cause of victims and economic losses.
Global temperatures reached record highs last year, and the UN weather and climate agency said Asia was warming at a particularly rapid rate.
The World Meteorological Organization said the impact of heatwaves in Asia is becoming more severe, with melting glaciers threatening the region’s future water security.
The WMO said Asia was warming faster than the global average, with temperatures last year almost two degrees Celsius above the 1961 to 1990 average.
“The report’s conclusions are worrying,” WMO chief Celeste Saulo said in a statement.
“Many countries in the region experienced the hottest year on record in 2023, along with a range of extreme conditions, from droughts and heatwaves to floods and storms.
“Climate change has exacerbated the frequency and severity of such events, profoundly impacting societies, economies and, most importantly, human lives and the environment in which we live.”
The State of Asia’s Climate 2023 report highlighted the rate of acceleration of key indicators of climate change, such as surface temperature, glacier retreat and sea level rise, stating that they would have serious repercussions for societies, economies and ecosystems in the region.
“Asia continued to be the region of the world hardest hit by meteorological, climate and water-related disasters in 2023,” the WMO said.
Heat, melting and flooding
The average annual near-surface temperature in Asia in 2023 was the second highest on record, 0.91 degrees Celsius above the 1991-2020 average and 1.87 C above the 1961-1990 average.
Particularly high average temperatures were recorded from western Siberia to Central Asia, and from eastern China to Japan, the report said, with Japan recording the hottest summer on record.
As for precipitation, it was below normal in the Himalayas and the Hindu Kush mountain range, in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, southwestern China has suffered a drought, with below-normal precipitation levels in almost every month of the year.
The High Mountain region of Asia, centered on the Tibetan Plateau, contains the largest volume of ice outside the polar regions.
Over the past few decades, most of these glaciers have been retreating, and at an accelerated rate, the WMO said, with 20 of the 22 glaciers monitored in the region showing continued mass loss last year.
The report said 2023 sea surface temperatures in the northwestern Pacific Ocean were the highest on record.
‘Urgency’ for action
Last year, 79 disasters associated with water-related climate hazards were reported in Asia. Of these, more than 80 percent were floods and storms, with more than 2,000 deaths and nine million people directly affected.
“Floods were the leading cause of death in events reported in 2023, by a substantial margin,” the WMO said, noting Asia’s continued high level of vulnerability to natural hazard events.
Hong Kong recorded 158.1 millimeters of rainfall in one hour on September 7 – the highest amount since records began in 1884, as a result of a typhoon.
The WMO said there is an urgent need for national meteorological services across the region to improve personalized information for authorities working to reduce disaster risks.
“It is imperative that our actions and strategies reflect the urgency of these times,” said Saulo.
“Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate change is not just an option, but a fundamental necessity.”
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