According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) State of the Climate in Asia 2024 report, Asia is warming at roughly twice the global average rate. As the largest landmass, Asia is experiencing extreme heat, rapid glacier melting, and accelerated sea-level rise, with 2024 being its warmest or second-warmest year on record
Key Details on Regional Warming
- Warming Rate: The warming trend in Asia from 1991 to 2024 is nearly double the global average.
- Impacts: The region saw record-high sea surface temperatures in 2024, extreme marine heatwaves, and catastrophic flooding and drought, particularly affecting the Himalayas and East Asia.
- Causes: The fast warming is attributed to the continent’s vast landmass, as temperatures over land increase more quickly than over the ocean.
- Context: While Europe has also been highlighted as a fast-warming continent in other reports (warming twice as fast as the global average since the 1980s), the most recent 2025 WMO data emphasizes Asia's 2024 climate crisis.
Note: While the Arctic is often considered the fastest-warming region globally, the specific, current WMO focus based on 2024-2025 reports points to Asia as the fastest-warming continent.