Extreme weather hits economies, hurts Asia most: WMO report

Economic losses incurred by Asian countries due to natural disasters have increased manifold as climate change has made these events more frequent. 

In 2021, at least 48.3 million people in Asia were affected by over 100 natural hazards, which claimed at least 3,803 lives, according to the State of the Climate in Asia 2021 released November 14, 2022. The total economic damage due to the extreme weather events was estimated to be $35.5 billion.

These events included drought, extreme temperature, floods, glacial lake outburst, landslide, storm and wildfire.

In Asia, floods have been the most impactful, causing the highest number of human deaths and economic damage. Drought affected the highest number of people in the region. 

Losses due to landslides increased 147 per cent, compared to…