Climate change in Asia has been showing one of its harshest faces in the last year. Data collected by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and other international agencies certify that The Asian continent is warming at twice the global rateThis phenomenon not only represents historic temperature records, but also an escalation in the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events that are already affecting the daily lives of millions of people in the region.
The "State of the Climate in Asia 2024" report warns of a disturbing outlook. According to the WMO, 2024 was the warmest year—or the second warmest, depending on the sources analyzed—ever recorded in Asia, with an average annual temperature 1,04°C above the 1991-2020 reference period. This upward trend has accelerated since the 1990s and affects both land and sea, driving drastic changes in Asian ecosystems and the economy.
Record temperatures and persistent heat waves
Asia has experienced prolonged heat waves in 2024, lasting from April to November.Countries such as China, Japan, and South Korea broke record temperatures for several consecutive months, while Myanmar reached a national high of 48,2°C. Furthermore, inland regions of Mongolia and parts of the Middle East experienced such extreme heat waves that daily life and productivity were severely impacted.
These heat waves have direct consequences for health, agriculture, and food security. The sustained rise in temperatures also causes a multiplier effect on other natural risks, such as forest fires, reduction of agricultural productivity and greater vulnerability of the most exposed populations, especially the elderly and children in densely populated urban areas.
Marine heat waves and rising sea levels
The oceans surrounding Asia are also not immune to climate change. In 2024, the marine surface reached unprecedented levels of warming, with a rate of increase of 0,24°C per decade, almost double the global average. During the months of August and September, nearly 15 million square kilometers of ocean—an area roughly the size of Russia—were affected by extreme marine heatwaves, impacting biodiversity and the food security of coastal communities.
Sea levels along the Indian and Pacific coasts are rising faster than in other regions of the planet. This increases the risks of flooding, coastal erosion, and salinization of agricultural land in low-lying areas of Southeast Asia, home to millions of people. Fisheries and other economic sectors depend on ocean stability, adding pressure to the regional economy.
Accelerated glacier melting and long-term threats
The accelerated retreat of glaciers in Asia is one of the most worrying symptoms of climate change. In areas such as the central Himalayas, the Tibetan Plateau, and the Tian Shan mountain range—known as the "Third Pole" because it contains the largest reserve of ice outside the polar regions—23 of the 24 monitored glaciers have experienced sustained loss of mass between 2023 and 2024. The reduction in winter snowfall and increasingly hot summers increase the risk of glacial lake outbursts and landslides.
Melting ice poses a serious risk to the water security of millions of people. that depend on glacial water for drinking, irrigation, and hydroelectric power generation. Furthermore, this process increases the likelihood of associated natural disasters, such as flash floods and damage to critical infrastructure.
Extreme weather events: floods, droughts and cyclones
2024 has been marked by a succession of extreme events that have left a significant human and economic impact. Tropical Cyclone Yagi was the most powerful storm of the year, causing significant damage and numerous casualties in countries such as Vietnam, the Philippines, Myanmar, Thailand, and China. Central Asia experienced the worst flooding in at least 70 years, with more than 100.000 people evacuated in Kazakhstan and southern Russia. Nepal and India also suffered record rainfall, with hundreds of deaths and millions of dollars in damage.
In contrast, China was hit by a drought that affected nearly five million people., causing agricultural losses exceeding $400 million and rendering large areas of crops unusable. Extreme weather patterns—too much or too little water—demonstrate the difficulty of adapting to increasingly unpredictable and more intense phenomena.
Adaptation measures and early warning systems
Given this scenario, the importance of early warning and preparedness systems is increasing. The WMO report highlights the case of Nepal, where the implementation of flood warnings and community training have saved tens of thousands of lives and reduced risks to local health and the economy. In a world increasingly exposed to climate variability, these experiences serve as a model for other regions.
However, Experts insist on the need to expand and coordinate these prevention systems to ensure an effective response to new episodes of extreme weather, which are expected to become increasingly frequent as global warming progresses.
The acceleration of climate change in Asia and the increase in extreme events through 2024 pose a major challenge for the region and the rest of the planet. Record temperatures, massive glacial melting, rising sea levels, and disasters caused by droughts, cyclones, and floods demonstrate the high human and economic cost of the climate crisis. The experience accumulated in early warning and preparedness systems offers a path to mitigating the worst impacts, but the challenges of adaptation and resilience are formidable in the face of a trend that, for the moment, shows no respite.