Sea Level Rise Along Indian Ocean Coast Exceeds Global Average, Threatens Coastal Areas, Warns WMO
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Asia remained the most disaster-impacted region in 2024, with climate-related hazards---floods, storms, droughts, and heatwaves---causing widespread human and economic losses
India's coastal stability is under growing threat due to sustained ocean warming, with the northern Arabian Sea and Pacific waters warming at 0.24℃ per decade—significantly faster than the global trend—warned the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) in its latest report.
In fact, the sea level rise along the Indian Ocean coast has also exceeded the global average, increasing risks for low-lying areas, and coastal populations.
The WMO's State of the Climate in Asia 2024 released on Monday by lead authors from India, China, and the Islamic Republic of Iran raises alarm on the ongoing climate crisis hitting Asia hard, as it remains the most disaster-hit region in 2024 with the continent warming more than twice as fast as the global average.
According to WMO, Asia's average temperature in 2024 was about 1.04°C above the 1991–2020 average, causing increasingly extreme weather and wreaking a heavy toll on the region's economies, ecosystems and societies.
The report comes as the delegates convene in Germany for the Bonn Conference—a critical mid-year climate meeting. The 62nd session of the Subsidiary Bodies (SB 62) of the UNFCC taking place from June 16-26 in Bonn, Germany, is the last major negotiation platform before COP30. It offers countries an opportunity to discuss key issues related to climate finance, just transition, adaptation framework and trade-related climate policies before they meet at COP30 in Belem, Brazil, later this year.
'The State of the Climate in Asia report highlights the changes in key climate indicators such as surface temperature, glacier mass and sea level, which will have major repercussions for societies, economies and ecosystems in the region. Extreme weather is already exacting an unacceptably high toll," said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo.
Additionally, there was reduced winter snowfall and extreme summer heat. As a result, 23 out of 24 glaciers in the central Himalayas and Tian Shan suffered mass loss, causing a spike in glacial lake outburst floods and landslides and endangers water security. Ten of Asia's largest rivers start in the Hindu Kush Himalayas, and together provide water for a quarter of the world's population.
Extreme rainfall also wreaked havoc and heavy casualties in many countries in the region, and tropical cyclones left a trail of destruction. The report also cited the major landslide in Wayanad, Kerala, on July 30 last year triggered by extreme rainfall exceeding 500 mm in the 48 hours prior to the event. More than 350 deaths were reported as a result of the event.
In 2024, most of the ocean area of Asia was affected by marine heatwaves of strong, severe, or extreme intensity—the largest extent since records began in 1993. The northern Indian Ocean and in the ocean area adjacent to Japan, the Yellow and East China seas were especially affected.
The rates of sea-level rise in the Indian and Pacific Ocean areas bordering Asia are higher than the global mean rate over January 1993–November 2024, stated the report, which also included representation from the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The regional report is part of the WMO's annual State of the Climate series to inform policymakers, decision-makers and public about the latest data on climate variability, and significant weather and climate events from the past year amid ongoing climate crisis.
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