Learning lessons: intense climate-related natural disasters in Asia and the Pacific
This synthesis addresses the global increase in frequency of intense floods and storms in Asia and the Pacific amid the spectre of climate change, and points to the need for better mitigation and adaptation to natural disasters. It presents the lessons drawn from evaluations of information sourced from publicly available databases, which highlight:
(i) a rise in intense climate-related disasters, especially weather-related, particularly in some subregions of Asia and the Pacific;
(ii) evidences that the increasing frequency of intense weather-related disasters is caused by a confluence of the changing nature of hazards that are affected by climate change, including human-induced climate change, rising population exposure, and limited adaptive capacity;
(iii) that disasters are taking a heavier toll on low-income and lower-middle-income countries;
(iv) the Philippines' case, illustrating the change in the path and frequency of tropical cyclones and the increase in the number of hot days and warm nights; and
(v) the need for better mitigation and adaptation, such as accelerating plans for the clean development mechanism of the Kyoto Protocol, as well as refining hazard mapping and various risk assessment systems.