The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released its State of the Climate in Asia 2025 report coinciding with the conclusion of the UN climate meet SB64 in Bonn, Germany.
The report, which paints a stark picture of the climatic challenges Asia faced in 2025, has underlined the need to pursue agendas like the global goal of adaptation, adaptation finance and just transition more aggressively, as demanded by the climate-vulnerable and least developed countries and developing economies as well as civil society at the Bonn summit, with little success.
The WMO report details how severe heat waves, intense rainfall and prolonged droughts ravaged Asia, affecting millions and creating extensive human and economic losses.
Ocean heat and glacier mass loss
The report raises concerns about the retreat of High-mountain Asian glaciers and pervasive marine heat waves, which threaten both environmental stability and human livelihoods.
It reveals that ocean heat has reached unprecedented levels since the 1990s, with marine heat waves affecting over 10 million sq km of ocean in Asia between July and September 2025, an area larger than China or the US. The Plurals has recently reported on how marine heat waves have surged about 61% in last five years – highest among all climate indicators — after the publication of IPCC’s Assessment Report 6, finalised between 2021-23, a comprehensive statement on the global climate situation.
“All 23 monitored glaciers in High-mountain Asia lost mass, driven by above-average temperatures and below-average winter snow,” says the WMO report. “This threatens long-term water security in the world’s most heavily populated region and leads to an upsurge in hazards – with multiple glacial lake outburst floods and glacier collapses being recorded in 2025,” it adds.
Soaring heat
Asia’s warming trend has outpaced the global average over recent decades. From 1991 to 2025, the region has warmed at approximately twice the rate compared to 1961–1990.
The WMO report, a collaboration of many experts, national meteorological services, climate monitoring institutes and UN partners, states that Asia’s average annual temperature in 2025 was 0.96 °C higher than the 1991–2020 average. Depending on the dataset referenced, 2025 ranked as one of the top four warmest years on record.
“Extreme heat was a defining feature of 2025 across much of Asia. Japan, China and the Republic of Korea all recorded their hottest summer on record, while prolonged heat waves affected Central Asia, parts of West Asia and the Arabian Peninsula,” says the release.
“In Kazakhstan, temperatures reached up to 14°C above normal in March, April, June and July. Bahrain recorded ten consecutive days above 40°C. Hot, dry and windy conditions contributed to major wildfires, including the largest known wildfires on record in the Republic of Korea,” it adds.
Floods and droughts
Exceptional monsoon-driven rainfall caused record-breaking flooding in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam, even as parts of West Asia faced persistent drought alongside destructive sandstorms.
Most of southern Asia witnessed above-average rainfall due to intense monsoons.
Pakistan recorded over 1,000 fatalities and more than 3 million people displaced following catastrophic floods. Vietnam saw prolonged flooding that resulted in at least 200 deaths and USD 1.9 billion in economic damages. In Southeast Asia, Cyclone Senyar unleashed torrents of rain and widespread floods in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Conversely, parts of West and Central Asia endured severe droughts compounded by below-average precipitation.
Sharp sea-level rise
Sea levels across Asia also reached their highest point since satellite monitoring began in 1999. “Rates of sea-level rise from 1999-2025 along much of the northern Indian Ocean coast exceeded the global average of approximately 3.6 mm per year, reaching around 4.9 mm per year along the Indian coast and more than 6 mm per year in the Kuroshio Current region,” says the release.
Further, ocean acidification continued unabated; some parts of the Arabian Sea recorded historically low pH levels.
Beyond rising temperatures
The consequences of climate change in Asia go beyond rising temperatures.
WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo emphasises in the report that “rising sea levels, warming oceans, melting glaciers, and weather extremes such as floods and droughts continue to inflict a heavy toll on human lives and economies while exacerbating risks posed by heatwaves, dust storms, and glacial flooding”.
Saulo also stressed that climate monitoring, early warning systems and precise impact-based forecasting are crucial for adapting to these intensifying conditions.
The findings outlined in this report underscore Asia’s disproportionate exposure to climate risks and the urgent need for a unified global response to meet adaptation goals while supporting vulnerable regions in their fight against climate change. The need for climate financing cannot be stressed too much.