Asia’s floods kill over 1,000, lay bare human cost of climate inaction

More than 1,400 people have been killed across South and Southeast Asia in a week of catastrophic floods, exposing how rising global temperatures are amplifying extreme weather, even as international negotiations to phase out fossil fuels stall.

Successive storms, cyclones and relentless rains have triggered catastrophic flash floods and landslides in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia, overwhelming local authorities already operating at the limits of their capacity.

While monsoon rains are a seasonal fixture, climate scientists warn that the recent onslaught coincides with a potent “Indian Ocean Dipole”: a climate pattern that can vastly amplify rainfall across Asia by warming and cooling sea surfaces.

“Climate change is also likely playing a role,” said Mariam Zachariah, a research associate at Imperial College London’s Centre for Environmental Policy, explaining that “a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture”.

Greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels are supercharging this capacity, scientists say, while elevated sea surface temperatures feed the storms with additional energy.

  

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