Asia warming nearly twice as fast as before, 2025 among hottest years: UN weather body
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500+ questions on Environment with explanations
📌 Summary:
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Asia's warming rate during 1991-2025 was nearly twice as high as during 1961-1990, with 2025 among the region's warmest years on record, per the World Meteorological Organization (WMO)'s State of the Climate in Asia 2025 report (released Wednesday).
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2025 land temperatures over Asia were 0.96°C above the 1991-2020 average and about 1.9°C above the 1961-1990 baseline.
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The region witnessed unprecedented ocean heat that triggered widespread marine heatwaves.
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Most of Asia was above average, but parts of South Asia, including the Indian subcontinent, saw relatively cooler conditions due to good monsoon rainfall.
🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS3 — climate change impacts, regional warming asymmetry, and the science-policy interface (WMO assessments) informing adaptation; GS1 — climatology and monsoon dynamics.
📝 Prelims Facts:
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WMO is the UN's specialised agency for weather, climate and water; headquartered in Geneva.
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Baselines: 1991-2020 and 1961-1990 are standard climatological reference periods.
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A marine heatwave is a prolonged period of anomalously high ocean temperatures.
🔑 Key Term: Marine heatwave — an extended period of unusually warm sea surface temperatures that can devastate marine ecosystems (e.g., coral bleaching).
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