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October 29, 2021

Anna Murray 

Sustainable development is under threat, according to a new multi-agency report coordinated by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), with food and water insecurity, health risks, and environmental degradation on the rise. Extreme weather and climate change impacts in Asia in 2020 will kill thousands, displace millions, and cost hundreds of billions of dollars, while wreaking havoc on infrastructure and ecosystems.

The UN's WMO stated in its annual "State of the Climate in Asia" report, released on October 26, that every part of the region had been affected. Heat and humidity are expected to shorten outdoor working hours across Asia, potentially costing billions of dollars. Petteri Taalas, Secretary-General of the WMO, stated that weather and climate hazards, particularly floods, storms, and droughts, have had a significant impact on many countries in the region.

According to the new WMO report, Asia had its warmest year on record in 2020, with a mean temperature 1.39 °C higher than the 1981–2010 average. There were several notable heat extremes, including a 38.0°C temperature in Verkhoyansk, Russian Federation, which is currently the highest known temperature north of the Arctic Circle.

Floods and storms affected approximately 50 million people in Asia in 2020, killing over 5000 people. Cyclone Amphan, one of the strongest recorded cyclones, struck the Sundarbans region between India and Bangladesh in May 2020, displacing 2.4 million Indians and 2.5 million Bangladeshis. Tropical cyclones, floods, and droughts caused an estimated annual loss of US$ 238 billion in China, US$ 87 billion in India, and US$ 83 billion in Japan.

In 2020, floods and storms affected approximately 50 million people in Asia, killing over 5000 people. Cyclone Amphan, one of the most powerful cyclones ever recorded, hit the Sundarbans region between India and Bangladesh in May 2020, displacing 2.4 million Indians and 2.5 million Bangladeshis. Tropical cyclones, floods, and droughts cost China an estimated $238 billion per year, India an estimated 87 billion, and Japan an estimated 83 billion.