Global Climate Change: Asia In A Growing Crisis

The globe has witnessed an off-the-chart climate-related shift in recent years, with devastating rising temperatures, intense flooding, and severe heat waves posing threats to lives, livelihoods, health and economies of nations and continents.

According to the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), climate related disasters have increased by 15% since 2000, with 2023 being the worst year on record. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warns that global warming will exceed 1.5 degree Celsius above pre-industrial levels by 2030 if no drastic action is taken.

Beyond the loss of lives and livelihoods, destruction of properties and the health impacts of these disasters, the economic impacts are top of the roof, with climate-related disasters costing the global economy over $100 billion annually. This humanitarian crisis is worsening, with millions of people displaced globally due to climate change.

Asia, with over 4.8 billion population is left vulnerable, with the continent warming faster than the global average, experiencing relentless and unpredictable climate-related disasters. The continent has remained the world’s most disaster-hit region from 2020 to 2024, accounting for 45% of global disasters. Countries such as India, Bangladesh, Nepal, China, Indonesia, Afghanistan, Thailand, Myanmar and Pakistan are among the most severely impacted.

India’s devastating heat waves have claimed thousands of lives, with temperatures soaring to 50 degrees Celsius in some regions. Bangladesh’s low-lying coastal regions are recorded to increasingly be vulnerable to cyclones and storms surges, displacing millions. Nepal’s Himalayan glaciers are melting at an alarming rate, threatening water security for its people. In China, the Yangtze River basin has experienced severe flooding, affecting over 1 million people. The people of Indonesia have put themselves in harm’s way, due to deforestation and land degradation, exacerbating climate-related disasters. Afghanistan’s droughts have ravaged crops, leaving its population hungry and food insecure.

The economic impact on the Asian continent is severe, with Asia’s GDP potentially decreasing by more than 25% in 25 years if no drastic action is taken. Already, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) says climate-related disasters has cost Asia over $35 billion as at 2022. Climate migration is also becoming increasingly common as survivors flee climate-ravaged areas in search of safety and stability, thereby impeding rapid growth and development of such areas.

The health implications of climate disasters cannot be ignored as several people end up with illnesses and disabilities that may last a lifetime.

These realities already threaten Goal 13 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which aims to take urgent actions to combat climate change and its impacts.

But why are disasters increasing and every next year seeming to get hit harder than the previous?

Are recommended strategies for mitigation like provision of effective early warning systems, climate-resilient infrastructure, creating renewable energy transitions, developing region specific frameworks, technological innovation, and the implementation of green finance to enhance resilience, not good enough?

Can the situation be salvaged, or will this be a case of leaving the destiny of our climate in the hands of fate?

The greatest irony of this reality is the fact that humans are the primary cause of climate related disasters, due to greenhouse gas emissions that blanket the earth.   Increased activities such as burning fossil fuels, cutting down forests, land degradation, and general poor environmental practices promote climate-related disasters.

If we accept that disasters are neither natural nor inevitable, then we must work to prevent or at least reduce their impact. Therefore, until individuals collaborate with authorities to defeat this growing global emergency, the coming years may just be as gloomy as the past and present.