Asia just had one of its hottest years in recorded history, and that heat came with a heavy cost.
What’s happening?
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According to the World Meteorological Organization’s new State of the Climate in Asia report, 2024 was ranked as either the hottest or second-hottest year on record for the region.
In a year defined by prolonged land and ocean heatwaves, severe floods, vanishing glaciers, and unseasonal droughts, the message is clear: This is no longer a future threat โ it’s here.
The WMO’s report shows that Asia is now warming at nearly twice the global average. In 2024 alone, heatwaves blanketed the continent for months. Sea surface temperatures were the highest ever recorded, with almost 15 million square kilometers โ roughly one-tenth of the planet’s entire ocean surface โ affected by marine heatwaves.
Glaciers in the High Mountain Asia region, home to the world’s largest ice reserves outside the poles, continued a decades-long pattern of mass loss. Twenty-three out of 24 glaciers in the region shrank significantly due to extreme heat and low winter snowfall.
Severe weather events โ like the UAE’s historic 24-hour rainfall, deadly floods in Nepal, and droughts in China โ also intensified across the region, with economic and human tolls reaching staggering levels. In Central Asia, the worst flooding in 70 years displaced over 118,000 people.
“This will have major repercussions for societies, economies, and ecosystems,” WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said in a press release.
Why is this report concerning?
The rapid warming across Asia affects every part of life โ from water and food access to public safety and regional stability. As glaciers melt, they disrupt freshwater supplies for millions. As ocean temperatures climb, fish populations shift, coral reefs bleach, and coastal communities face increasing flood risks.
And these changes aren’t isolated. They’re part of a broader global trend fueled by heat-trapping pollution from gas, coal, and oil.
Rising temperatures don’t just mean warmer summers โ they also supercharge extreme weather, making droughts longer, storms fiercer, and floods more dangerous.
For vulnerable populations without access to efficient cooling or weather-resilient infrastructure, the stakes are especially high.
What can be done about it?
There’s still hope โ and action is already making a difference. The report highlights how early warning systems, like those used in Nepal, helped save over 130,000 lives during catastrophic flooding.
These systems give communities time to prepare, reducing casualties and health risks.
Efforts to scale clean energy, like India’s solar canal projects and Japan’s push for energy-efficient buildings, are also helping curb the pollution responsible for overheating our planet.
On an individual level, readers can encourage this shift by supporting policies that prioritize clean energy, improved infrastructure, and accessible early-warning systems that can help ensure these “major repercussions” don’t define the future.
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