The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has issued a stark warning about the escalating impact of heatwaves and glacial melting in Asia, posing severe threats to the region’s future water security. According to the WMO, Asia is warming at a rate faster than the global average, with temperatures in 2023 soaring nearly two degrees Celsius above the 1961 to 1990 average.
WMO Chief Celeste Saulo expressed deep concern over the findings, stating, “The report’s conclusions are sobering,” highlighting that many countries in Asia experienced record-breaking temperatures in 2023, accompanied by a barrage of extreme weather events ranging from droughts and heatwaves to floods and storms. Climate change has exacerbated the frequency and severity of such events, profoundly impacting societies, economies, and human lives.
The State of the Climate in Asia 2023 report underscored the alarming acceleration of key climate change indicators, including surface temperature rise, glacier retreat, and sea-level rise. These trends are expected to have serious repercussions for societies, economies, and ecosystems across the region.
In 2023, Asia remained the world’s most disaster-hit region from weather, climate, and water-related hazards, with heatwaves, melting glaciers, and floods among the most prominent threats. The annual mean near-surface temperature over Asia was the second-highest on record, with particularly high temperatures observed in western Siberia, central Asia, eastern China, and Japan, where the summer was the hottest on record.
Precipitation patterns also exhibited alarming trends, with below-normal rainfall in the Himalayas and the Hindu Kush mountain range, while southwest China experienced severe drought conditions. The High-Mountain Asia region, home to significant ice reserves, witnessed accelerated glacier retreat, with most monitored glaciers showing continued mass loss in 2023.
The report highlighted the highest sea-surface temperatures on record in the northwest Pacific Ocean, further exacerbating climate-related risks in the region.
The urgency for action was underscored by the alarming statistics of water-related disasters in Asia, with floods and storms causing substantial loss of life and widespread devastation. The WMO emphasized the need for improved weather services to enhance disaster risk reduction efforts across the region, stressing that reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate change are imperative necessities, not optional choices.
