Latest news with #StateoftheClimateinAsia
India Today
25-06-2025
- Climate
- India Today
Asia is heating up, and India is feeling the burn
Asia is warming nearly twice as fast as the rest of the world, and the consequences are becoming harder to ignore. According to the World Meteorological Organisation's latest State of the Climate in Asia report, 2024 was among the warmest years ever recorded on the continent. The average temperature across Asia last year was about 1.04 degrees Celsius above the 1991–2020 is Asia heating faster?Asia has the largest landmass of any continent, and according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, land surfaces tend to warm more quickly than oceans. However, Asia's surrounding seas are warming up just as fast — its sea surface temperatures rose at 0.24 degrees Celsius per decade, nearly double the global average of 0.13 degrees Celsius — and offer no substantial high vulnerability India, already one of the most climate-vulnerable countries due to its vast population, coastline, and dependence on agriculture, is facing the heat. The country faced one of its longest heat waves in 2024, with temperatures soaring above 45 degrees Celsius in several states, causing more than 450 experienced extreme weather events on 322 of the 366 days in 2024, which claimed 3,472 lives and damaged 4.07 million hectares of crop area. Between March and April 17, 2025, India saw a staggering 162 deaths from lightning strikes across 12 states, a 184per cent rise compared to the same period in rainfall events have also grown more frequent and more damaging. For instance, in late July 2024, northern Kerala's Wayanad was hit by massive landslides caused by heavy rains, which claimed more than 350 lives. An analysis by the World Weather Attribution later confirmed that this rainfall was about 10 per cent more intense due to human-driven climate in 2025, India witnessed extreme weather events nearly every day of the first quarter, per the State of India's Environment In Figures 2025 report. According to the report, the toll from extreme weather events surged in just three years, with weather-linked deaths rising by 15 per cent, and crop damage more than doubled."The State of the Climate in Asia report highlights changes in key indicators such as surface temperature, glacier mass, and sea level — each carries profound implications for societies, economies, and ecosystems," warned WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo. "Extreme weather is already exacting an unacceptably high toll."Adapt to surviveDespite this, climate adaptation remains underfunded. A recent World Resources Institute report found that initiatives like building climate-resilient infrastructure, expanding early warning systems, and restoring natural ecosystems don't just protect lives, but also work economically. Every $1 spent on adaptation can yield up to $10 in savings and benefits over the next floods, droughts, and heatwaves intensify across the globe, the case for acting now before the next disaster hits has never been stronger.- EndsTune InMust Watch
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
23-06-2025
- Climate
- Business Standard
Harsh climate claims over 2,000 lives in India in 2024: WMO climate report
Extreme natural events in 2024 claimed the lives of over 2,000 people in India, including over 450 from intense heat wave last summer, according to World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Temperatures shot up to nearly 50°C the previous summer, especially in northern India. The onset of monsoon (June-September) in India was normal in 2024 at 108 per cent of its climatological normal for the 1971–2020 period. However, heavy rainfall in Kerala's Wayanad caused landslides, killing over 350 people. Around 1,300 lost their lives due to lightning in various parts of the country, the WMO's State of the Climate in Asia 2024 report said on Monday. In the case of lightning, it claimed around 1,300 lives in various parts of the country. This includes the deaths of 72 people on July 10 due to bad weather conditions, coupled with lightning, in various parts of the country, including Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Jharkhand. Asia's average temperature in 2024 was about 1.04°C above the 1991–2020 average, ranking as the warmest or second-warmest year on record, with widespread and prolonged heat wave. The warming trend between 1991–2024 was almost double compared to the 1961–1990 period, the report stated. Asia is the continent with the largest land mass extending to the Arctic and is warming more than twice as fast as the global average because 'the temperature increase over land is larger than the temperature increase over the ocean,' the report said. The entire oceanic area of Asia experienced surface ocean warming over recent decades, with particularly rapid rates of sea-surface temperature (SST) increase observed in the northern Arabian Sea and Pacific Ocean portion of the region. The area-averaged time series indicates average SST warming at a rate of 0.24 °C per decade, which is nearly double the global mean rate of 0.13°C per decade. The area-averaged SST for 2024 was the highest on record (1982–2024). Variations in SST alter the transfer of energy, momentum and gases between the ocean and the atmosphere. SSTs influence weather and climate patterns, such as extreme rainfall patterns in Indonesia and India, the Asian summer monsoon, wildfire activity and sea-ice variability. During 2024, four tropical cyclones formed over the north Indian Ocean. Three of them formed over the Bay of Bengal (Remal, Dana, Fengal), and one over the Arabian Sea (Asna). Severe cyclonic storm Remal made a landfall near the Mongla and Khepupara coasts in Bangladesh and West Bengal on May 26, 2024. In Bangladesh, the highest recorded wind speed was 111 km/h on May 27, and the storm surge, accompanied by extremely heavy rainfall, caused flooding of up to 2.5 m in the coastal districts. Cyclonic storm Asna developed in August over the Arabian Sea, which is a rare occurrence – it has only happened three times since 1891. The storm's impact on Oman included rough wave heights ranging from 3 to 5 metres, it said. In 2024, the mean rainfall over most of the Asian summer monsoon region was above normal. Northeast Asia and South Asia were particularly impacted by the enhanced intensity of the East Asian summer monsoon and Indian summer monsoon, respectively.
Time of India
23-06-2025
- Climate
- Time of India
Asia warming nearly twice as fast as the global average, wreaking a heavy toll on the region's economies: WMO
Representational image NEW DELHI: Asia is currently warming nearly twice as fast as the global average with the 1991–2024 trend almost double that of 1961–1990, fuelling more extreme weather and wreaking a heavy toll on the region's economies and ecosystems, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Monday. It said that the year 2024 with recording rise of 1.04 degree C of temperature above the 1991–2020 average was the warmest or second warmest year on record with widespread and prolonged heat waves, and flagged the multiple extreme weather events that hit India last year, including rains-linked landslides in Kerala's Wayanad district that killed more than 350 people and lightning that claimed around 1300 lives across various parts of the country. The WMO's State of the Climate in Asia report noted that many parts of the region experienced extreme heat events in 2024 with several parts of India experiencing 'intense heatwaves', leading to more than 450 deaths across the country. It also highlighted that 23 out of 24 glaciers in the high-mountain Asia region (centred on the Tibetan Plateau) showed continued mass loss during 2023/2024. 'Reduced winter snowfall and extreme summer heat in the central Himalayas (most of Nepal, Tibet Autonomous Region in China and Sikkim in India) and most of the Tian Shan (the mountain range shared by China, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan) intensified mass loss for most glaciers,' it said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Adidas Three Shorts With 60% Discount, Limited Stock Available Original Adidas Shop Now Undo Mass loss for most glaciers in the region is quite worrying as 10 of Asia's largest rivers - including the Indus, Brahmaputra, and Ganges - originate in the Hindu Kush Himalayas. Since these rivers provide water for a quarter of the world's population, such a huge loss may impact water availability in the future if the warming trend continues. '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. Asia is the continent with the largest land mass extending to the Arctic and is warming more than twice as fast as the global average because the temperature increase over land is larger than the temperature increase over the ocean. '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,' said the report.
NDTV
23-06-2025
- Climate
- NDTV
Asia Warming Twice As Fast As Global Average: Report
New Delhi: Asia, the largest continent in the world with around 60 per cent of the global population, is now warming nearly twice as fast as the global average, according to a report released on Monday. The sea surface in Asia is also warming at nearly double the global average over the past decades, said the World Meteorological Organization's "State of the Climate in Asia in 2024" report. "In the two most recent subperiods (1961-1990 and 1991-2024), Asia, the continent with the largest land mass, extending to the Arctic, has warmed faster than the global land and ocean average," the report said. In 2024, the average temperature in Asia was about 1.04 degrees Celsius above the 1991-2020 average, making it either the warmest or second warmest year on record, depending on the dataset. Many parts of the region saw extreme heat events this year. Prolonged heatwaves hit East Asia from April to November. Japan, the Republic of Korea and China broke monthly average temperature records repeatedly. India reported nearly 48,000 cases of heatstroke and 159 deaths due to extreme heat in 2024. Sea levels rose faster than the global average on both the Pacific and Indian Ocean sides of Asia, increasing risks for low-lying coastal areas, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said. Reduced winter snowfall and extreme summer heat severely affected glaciers. In the central Himalayas and Tian Shan, 23 out of 24 glaciers lost mass. This has increased the risk of disasters like glacial lake outburst floods and landslides and poses a long-term threat to water security. Extreme rainfall caused severe damage and heavy loss of life in several countries, while tropical cyclones brought destruction. Droughts caused major economic and agricultural losses. "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. International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) Director General Pema Gyamtsho said, "Given Asia's population and economic exposure to the impacts of temperature rise, it is an injustice that the devastating consequences of inaction on climate goals are hitting some of the most vulnerable communities and ecosystems on Earth." He said this is the last decade of action on preserving essential planetary resources, including our glaciers.
Time of India
23-06-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Asia warming twice as fast as global average: WMO
Asia faces rapid warming, double the global average. Sea surface temperatures are also rising quickly. Extreme heatwaves impacted East Asia. India reported many heatstroke cases and deaths. Sea levels rose faster, threatening coastal areas. Glaciers in the Himalayas and Tian Shan are melting, increasing disaster risks. Extreme rainfall and droughts caused damage. Climate change impacts Asia's societies, economies, and ecosystems. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Asia, the largest continent in the world with around 60 per cent of the global population, is now warming nearly twice as fast as the global average, according to a report released on sea surface in Asia is also warming at nearly double the global average over the past decades, said the World Meteorological Organization 's "State of the Climate in Asia in 2024" report."In the two most recent subperiods (1961-1990 and 1991-2024), Asia, the continent with the largest land mass, extending to the Arctic, has warmed faster than the global land and ocean average," the report 2024, the average temperature in Asia was about 1.04 degrees Celsius above the 1991-2020 average, making it either the warmest or second warmest year on record, depending on the parts of the region saw extreme heat events this heatwaves hit East Asia from April to November. Japan, the Republic of Korea and China broke monthly average temperature records reported nearly 48,000 cases of heatstroke and 159 deaths due to extreme heat in levels rose faster than the global average on both the Pacific and Indian Ocean sides of Asia, increasing risks for low-lying coastal areas, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) winter snowfall and extreme summer heat severely affected the central Himalayas and Tian Shan, 23 out of 24 glaciers lost mass. This has increased the risk of disasters like glacial lake outburst floods and landslides and poses a long-term threat to water rainfall caused severe damage and heavy loss of life in several countries, while tropical cyclones brought destruction. Droughts caused major economic and agricultural losses."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 Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) Director General Pema Gyamtsho said, "Given Asia's population and economic exposure to the impacts of temperature rise, it is an injustice that the devastating consequences of inaction on climate goals are hitting some of the most vulnerable communities and ecosystems on Earth."He said this is the last decade of action on preserving essential planetary resources, including our glaciers.
