Asia Heating Up Nearly Twice as Fast as the Global Average, WMO Warns

A new WMO report reveals that Asia's land and coastal waters have been warming at nearly twice the global average rate between 1991 and 2024. With the region recording a 1.04 °C increase above the 1991–2020 baseline last year, this rapid warming ranks 2024 among the warmest years on record.

The impacts are far-reaching:

• Heatwaves afflicted large areas, shattering temperature records in Japan, South Korea, China, Myanmar, India, and Southeast Asia.

• Marine heatwaves engulfed an unprecedented swath of ocean, disrupting ecosystems and accelerating cooling patterns .

• Glacier melt in the Himalayas and Tian Shan swept 23 of 24 glaciers into steep territorial loss, increasing glacial lake flood risk and jeopardizing water security.

• Sea level rise in the Indian and Pacific regions outpaced global averages, threatening coastal communities.

• Extreme weather events like floods, droughts, and tropical cyclones hit hard, shrinking ecosystems and disrupting economies.

  
  

WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo emphasized that these changes are already “exacting an unacceptably high toll” on regional economies and ecosystems. The report underscores the urgency of early warning systems, climate adaptation, and resilient infrastructure across Asia.

_Daily Growth Insights