Climate disasters demand swift action

Southeast Asia is in crisis.

- Genevieve Donnellon-May

This Nov 23 photo shows people standing in water in a flooded area in Songkhla's Hat Yai district.

(REUTERS)

Less than a week after the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) concluded in Brazil, the region is grappling with devastating floods and landslides, underscoring the urgent climate challenges that countries have repeatedly raised on the global stage.Large parts of the region are still reeling from a series of cyclones and tropical storms that struck in late November, bringing torrential rains, landslides, and damaging wind gusts. Estimates suggest the death toll in the region has already surpassed 1,100, while millions more have been affected. Nearly 3 million people in southern Thailand and 1.1 million in western Indonesia have been displaced or otherwise impacted. It is Indonesia’s deadliest disaster since the 2018 Sulawesi earthquake and tsunami, which killed more than 2,000 people.

Meanwhile, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines have also endured a year of punishing storms and climate extremes that have left hundreds dead. These events highlight the growing vulnerability of Southeast Asia to extreme weather, particularly as storms intensify and become more unpredictable.

Southeast Asia’s climate vulnerability is stark. The region is warming nearly twice as fast as the global average, and scientists warn that extreme weather events are increasing in both frequency and intensity. Rising temperatures, heavier rainfall, and more frequent severe floods are already affecting millions in densely populated and coastal areas, while rising seas amplify storm surges.