This week, a wave of devastation swept through several regions of Asia after record rains and storm surges. Rescuers are still trying to reach survivors after several days of sudden floods and landslides that left thousands isolated and claimed the lives of more than 1,300 people.
People were found clinging to roofs or trees to survive; roads quickly turned into rushing rivers of mud, and thousands of homes were destroyed.
Indonesia, the hardest-hit country, had registered 753 deaths by Tuesday, December 2. Following are Sri Lanka and Thailand, where 410 and 181 people died, respectively. Three people also died in Malaysia, and thousands were forced to leave their homes.
What Caused the Deadly Floods in Asia?
According to Claire Nalis, a representative of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), countries such as Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines have been most affected by a "combination of monsoon rainfall and tropical cyclone activity."
Monsoons are not just rains; they are actually seasonal wind patterns that lead to a sharp contrast between dry and rainy seasons.
This shift is particularly noticeable in South and Southeast Asia, where the summer monsoon brings torrential rains that are vital for agriculture, ecosystems, and water supply.
Tropical cyclones (often referred to as hurricanes or typhoons) are circular storms characterized by strong winds and heavy rainfall. They draw energy from tropical oceans and maintain their strength as long as they remain over warm water.
"Asia is very, very vulnerable to flooding," warns Nalis, explaining that flooding is consistently at the top of the list of climate threats in the region.
At the same time, tropical cyclones like Senyar, which brought heavy rains and caused widespread flooding in Indonesia, Malaysia, and southern Thailand last week, are usually extremely rare so close to the equator.
"We don’t see this often, so the impacts are exacerbated because local communities lack experience in such situations," adds Nalis.
Is Climate Change to Blame?
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warns that the significant warming observed across Asia since the 20th century increases the likelihood of flooding in the monsoon regions of South, Southeast, and East Asia.
This is because with a 1 °C increase in air temperature, the atmosphere can hold about seven percent more moisture, which can lead to more powerful and abundant rains.
Last year, the level of heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the atmosphere rose to a record high; the United Nations warned that this would sharply accelerate climate change on Earth and lead to more extreme weather.
The IPCC report confirms that extreme rainfall activity has intensified in South and East Asia in recent years and adds that the frequency of such weather events will only increase.
Benjamin Horton, a professor of Earth sciences at City University of Hong Kong, warns that while the overall number of deadly storms may not "significantly increase," their intensity and unpredictability will rise.
"A Human-Caused Crisis"
Alongside global warming, experts point to human activities that exacerbate the impacts of flooding.
In North Sumatra, Indonesia, authorities report that floods and landslides have swept away millions of cubic meters of logged timber. This raises concerns that illegal logging may have contributed to the disaster.
Batang Toru, once a densely forested area, has turned into a wasteland of broken logs and destroyed homes.
According to AP News, Rianda Purba from the activist group Indonesian Forum for the Environment stated, "This is not just a natural disaster; it is a human-caused crisis."
"Deforestation and uncontrolled development have stripped Batang Toru of its resilience. Without urgent restoration and stricter protective measures, such floods will become the new normal."
