As Asia counts the cost of one of the world’s most expensive years for weather disasters, aid groups and scientists are warning that poorer countries face even greater risks ahead unless global emissions are cut and spending shifts from disaster response to prevention.
Asia accounted for four of the world’s six costliest climate-related disasters in 2025, according to a report by Christian Aid released this month, underlining how heavily the region is being hit by floods, storms and extreme heat.
Flooding in India and Pakistan killed more than 1,860 people, cost up to US$6 billion and affected more than 7 million people in Pakistan alone, the report said.
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The Philippines sustained damage of more than US$5 billion from typhoons that displaced over 1.4 million people.
“The costs of climate-driven disasters are already overwhelming public finances across South and Southeast Asia, and they will keep rising without decisive action,” Graham Gordon, head of global advocacy and policy at Christian Aid, told This Week in Asia.
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