Effects of climate change increasing in Asia: UN agency
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A street in Hyderabad, Pakistan, during heavy monsoon rain, on July 25.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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GENEVA - Extreme weather events ranging from droughts to large-scale floods and other effects of climate change are on the rise in Asia and bound to affect food security and the continent’s ecosystems, said the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).
In a report published on Thursday, the United Nations agency said Asia was the world’s most disaster-impacted region, with 81 weather, climate and water-related disasters recorded in 2022, the majority of which were floods and storms.
WMO said these calamities directly affected more than 50 million people and caused more than 5,000 deaths.
These included floods from record monsoon rains in Pakistan
China, in turn, suffered drought, which affected the power supply and availability of water.
The WMO report also highlighted that most glaciers in the High-Mountain Asia region had lost significant mass as a result of warm and dry conditions in 2022.
“This will have major implications for future food and water security and ecosystems,” said WMO secretary-general Petteri Taalas. REUTERS
