On the eve of COP26 summit, which is due to take place in Glasgow, the United Nations said on Tuesday said that Asia suffered its hottest year on record in 2020. UN said that the temperature rise and extreme weather are taking a heavy toll on continent’s development.
UN’s World Meteorological Organisation in its annual “State of the Climate in Asia” report has said that 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 has come just days before COP26, the UN Climate Change Conference. The conference is due to be held in Glasgow from Sunday to November 12.
The report also mentioned total annual average losses suffered by Asian countries 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.