ASEAN towards the era of climate change adaptation

From September 4 to 6, the ASEAN Specialized Meteorological Center and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) jointly organized the first ASMC - WMO Regional Forum in Singapore with the theme "Towards an ASEAN ready to adapt to climate change".

Focus on finding solutions

According to information from the WMO homepage, the ASMC-WMO Regional Forum 2024 includes the launch of the WMO State of the Climate Report for the Southwest Pacific 2023 (hereinafter referred to as the Report).

According to the summary of the Report, human-caused climate change is the cause of rapid warming of ocean water temperatures in recent years.

Typhoon Yagi topples electric poles on the streets of Manila, Philippines Photo: CNA

This has serious implications for the Pacific island nations, making them the region most affected by rising sea levels. In some places, sea levels have risen twice as much as the global average over the past 30 years. Rising sea levels are amplifying the frequency and severity of storm surges and coastal flooding.

In the big picture, flooding not only submerges coastal communities, but also impacts fisheries, destroys crops, and pollutes freshwater sources. All of these impacts put Pacific island nations at particular risk.

The ASMC-WMO 2024 Forum will also focus on how climate services, such as high-resolution regional climate forecasts, can better support climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction in Southeast Asia; and discuss the effectiveness of early warning systems to mitigate the impacts of extreme weather and climate events.

The forum brings together experts from across the climate services value chain, including national and regional climate service providers as well as practitioners in climate-sensitive sectors from Southeast Asia and beyond.

Heavy losses due to natural disasters

The situation of natural disasters, storms, and floods in ASEAN countries such as the Philippines, Thailand, and Laos is complicated and causing a lot of damage. Reuters reported that the Philippines closed schools in the capital area on September 2 and canceled some flights due to heavy rains accompanied by the southwest monsoon caused by Typhoon Yagi.

The Manila Airport Authority said several domestic flights by Philippine Airlines and Cebu Air were canceled due to the adverse weather. Officials said flooding and landslides killed 11 people.

On the same day, Director General of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation of Thailand Chaiwat Chuntirapong said that flooding continued in the four provinces of Chiang Rai, Phitsanulok and Sukhothai in the North and Nong Khai in the Northeast of the country. Up to now, floodwaters caused by persistent rains have affected 3,979 families in 223 villages in the four provinces.

Since August 16, floods and landslides caused by heavy rains in Thailand have affected 23 provinces, killing 22 people and injuring 19. In Laos, a tropical depression has caused heavy rains in many areas of Laos, affecting more than 36,200 people.

Lao military television reported that heavy rains and storms affected 13 provinces, 60 districts, 541 villages and 17,548 households in the country. The storms and heavy rains also caused widespread damage to 9,760 hectares of agricultural land, 177 roads, 12 bridges, 79 irrigation systems, 30 water supply systems, 334 fish ponds, etc.

VIET ANH synthesis

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/asean-huong-toi-ky-nguyen-thich-ung-bien-doi-khi-hau-post756921.html