A shared future on a warming planet

In recent weeks, climate-related disasters have again reminded us how closely connected our lives have become. Malaysia and much of Southeast Asia are confronting the effects of a strengthening El Niño, with hotter and drier conditions increasing pressure on water supplies, agriculture and public health. In Sarawak, Serian was placed under a state of emergency after hazardous haze pushed air pollution to extreme levels. Across the South China Sea, torrential rain from Typhoon Saudel caused severe flooding in Fujian, while in the Himalayas, a catastrophic glacier collapse triggered devastating floods along the Nepal-China border.

These events are different in nature, and no single disaster should automatically be attributed to climate change. Yet together they point to a wider reality: a warming planet is changing the conditions in which extreme weather, drought, floods, wildfires and glacial hazards occur.