Rescue crews paddle through the city of Lianjiangkou in the Chinese province of Guangdong. Parts of the province are affected by record rainfall, and the authorities link the situation to climate change. China was also hit by extreme weather last year, and according to the WMO, Asia was the region hit hardest by weather and climate disasters. Photo: Xinhua / AP / NTB
Of NTB | 23.04.2024 15:30:29
Economy and business: In a new report, the UN organization refers to heat waves, temperature records, drought, melting glaciers and rising sea levels.
– In many countries in the region, 2023 was the warmest year ever recorded. At the same time, there was a whole series of extreme conditions, from droughts and heat waves to floods and storms, says WMO chief Celeste Saulo.
Globally, 2023 was by far the hottest year ever recorded. In Asia, it was particularly warm in western Siberia, in Central Asia, in eastern China and in Japan. As far back as records exist, there has never been a hotter summer in Japan.
At the same time, there was a drought in southwest China, and here there was abnormally little rainfall in all months of the year.
In the Himalayas, the glaciers continue to melt, and according to the WMO, the melting is accelerating. This could eventually cause major problems for the water supply in India, China and several other countries.
A total of 79 weather-related disasters were recorded in Asia last year. 80 percent of these were floods or storms. Nine million people were affected, and over 2,000 people lost their lives.
(© NTB)