Sharjha24 – AFP: Asia suffered its hottest year on record in 2020, the United Nations said Tuesday ahead of the COP26 summit, with extreme weather taking a heavy toll on the continent's development.
In its annual "State of the Climate in Asia" report, the UN's World Meteorological Organization said every part of the region had been affected.
"Extreme weather and climate change impacts across Asia in 2020 caused the loss of life of thousands of people, displaced millions of others and cost hundreds of billions of dollars, while wreaking a heavy toll on infrastructure and ecosystems," the WMO said.
"Sustainable development is threatened, with food and water insecurity, health risks and environmental degradation on the rise."
The report comes days before COP26, the UN Climate Change Conference being held in Glasgow from Sunday to November 12.
The report also laid bare the total annual average losses due to climate-related hazards.
China suffered an estimated $238 billion, followed by India at $87 billion, Japan with $83 billion and South Korea on $24 billion.
But when the size of the economy is considered, the average annual losses are expected to be as high as 7.9 percent of gross domestic product for Tajikistan, 5.9 percent for Cambodia and 5.8 percent for Laos.
Increased heat and humidity are forecast to lead to an effective loss of outdoor working hours across the continent, with a potential cost of many billions of dollars.
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