Although there are records that exist to be beaten – the Olympics, for example – these extremes of monthly temperature are not worthy of the medal. And yet China was not the only Asian country to set a burst of new peaks in 2024.
The continent heats up twice as fast as the world average, according to a report published Monday by the World Meteorological Organization (Wmo). This warming rate – which shows no signs of stopping – leads to devastating consequences for lives and livelihoods in the region, and no country is exempt from the consequences.
“” A rigorous extreme time is already an unacceptable toll“Said the secretary general of the WMO, Celeste Saulo on Monday.
Large land mass, warmer temperatures
The WMO report said that Asia warms up twice as quickly as the world’s averages due to its large land mass, explaining that land temperatures increase more quickly than those on the sea.
“” Surface temperature variations have a significant impact on natural systems and on human beings“Said the report.
The oceans around Asia also experience temperature increases with surface temperatures in the Indian and peaceful oceans reaching record levels in 2024.
In addition, prolonged heat waves, both on land and on the sea, have wreaked havoc in the region, leading to the melting of glaciers and upwards of the sea level.
Too little water
Some Asian countries and communities have been ravaged by record precipitation. Northern Kerala in India, for example, experienced a deadly landslide that killed more than 350 people.
Record precipitation associated with the melting snow in Kazakhstan, which houses thousands of glaciers, has led to the worst floods in 70 years.
Others were ravaged by the exact opposite problem – not enough precipitation. Summer drought in China, for example, affected more than 4.76 million people and damaged hundreds of thousands of hectares of cultures.
WMO stressed in the report that the only way to adapt to these increasingly polar weather models is to install more complete early alert systems which are coupled with capacity building measures that allow communities to be more resilient.
Nepal: a case study in preparation
The WMO report praised the success that Nepal has experienced in the installation of early alert systems that monitor the risk of flooding, among others, even if they have declared that more complete measures were necessary.
Between September 26 and 28, 2024, Nepal experienced extreme precipitation which created landslides and floods through large expanses of the country. 246 people were killed, 178 injured and more than 200 missing following the climate emergency.
Although the impact of the crisis is extreme, the first flood alert systems allowed communities to prepare for evacuation in addition to crisis stakeholders to quickly reach the most affected regions.
“” It was the first time in 65 years that the flood was so bad. We had no victim thanks to the preparation and rescue measures, but the damage was deepened“Said Rameh Karki, mayor of Barahakshetra, a municipality affected in eastern Nepal.
In addition, complete national protocols on emergency financing assured that the financing of humanitarian and reconstruction needs was quickly dispersed throughout the country.
WMO said they were working with the Nepalese government and other partners to continue improving these systems.
“The work of national meteorological and hydrological services and their partners is more important than ever to save lives and livelihoods,” said Ms. Saulo.
Publicado anteriormente en Almouwatin.
