Extreme weather conditions and other impacts of climate change are increasing in Asia more than on other continents. This is what the World Weather Organization (WMO) writes in its Asia balance for the year 2022 published in Bangkok on Thursday. In that year the continent experienced both droughts and floods that destroyed the livelihoods of many people.

Last year there were 81 weather, climate and water-related disasters in Asia. Floods and storms accounted for more than 83 percent of that. According to the report, more than 5,000 people died. More than 50 million people were directly affected and more than US$36 billion (€32.5 billion) in economic damage was caused. In addition, there have been severe dust storms in large parts of Asia. The average temperature on the continent in 2022 was about 0.72 degrees Celsius above the average for the years 1991 to 2020.

Unusually warm and dry weather has caused most of the glaciers in Asia's high mountain regions to melt sharply. The shrinking glaciers posed a threat to the region's future food and water supplies, the WMO warns.

2022 was unusually dry in many regions of the continent, especially in much of China, the report said. This affected the water and energy supply. Pakistan, on the other hand, has suffered from catastrophic floods, emphasized WMO Secretary General Petteri Taalas.