Heatwaves Kill Tens of Thousands in Asia

Parts of Asia are currently experiencing a heatwave, with temperatures in several countries, including China, Japan and South Korea, climbing to well above their long-term average since April. In India and Pakistan, daily maximum temperatures have topped 46°C in many cities, with some areas running around 5°C to 8°C above seasonal norms. Since April, the heatwave has claimed at least 37 lives in India and 10 in Pakistan, and these figures are likely to be underestimated.

According to a recent study published in The Innovation, the heatwave that swept the globe in 2023 was responsible for over 85,000 deaths across Asia, with close to 64 percent (54,636 deaths) directly attributable to climate change. Eastern Asia, which includes China, Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Mongolia and Taiwan, was the most heavily affected region: 56,488 people lost their lives. In Southern India, which comprises of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, the Maldives and Afghanistan, 17,958 excess deaths were recorded due to the heatwave, including over 8,600 attributable to climate change.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Sixth Assessment Report, published in 2023, highlighted the well-established link between anthropogenic climate change and the increasing frequency, intensity, and duration of extreme heat events in Asia, making such episodes much more likely as tempratures continue to rise.