KATHMANDU: Extreme heat is the fastest-growing climate-related hazard reshaping disaster patterns across Asia and the Pacific, with projections showing potential economic losses could balloon to nearly US$500 billion by century's end, according to a UN report launched this week.

The Asia-Pacific Disaster Report 2025, released by ESCAP at the Ninth Session of the Committee on Disaster Risk Reduction, documents how rising temperatures are simultaneously threatening food security, overwhelming healthcare systems, destabilising rural communities and degrading critical infrastructure across the region.

Recent extreme heat events underscore the report's warnings. Bangladesh experienced a devastating heatwave impacting 33 million residents in 2024, while India's simultaneous heat crisis claimed approximately 700 lives. These incidents occurred during what scientists confirmed as the hottest year on record globally, setting a trajectory toward increased frequency and intensity.

The economic implications are staggering. Disaster losses in the region could escalate from the current US$418 billion baseline to US$498 billion under worst-case climate scenarios—a potential 19 per cent increase driven largely by heat-related impacts. South and South-West Asia, segments of South-East Asia and northern Australia face trajectories toward persistent chronic heat exposure where extreme temperatures become normalised.

Metropolitan areas present a compounding crisis. Major cities including Delhi, Karachi, Dhaka, Manila and Jakarta will experience temperatures amplified by urban heat island effects, which intensify ambient warming by an additional 2°C to 7°C. These urban heat zones disproportionately endanger low-income populations, elderly residents and children lacking access to cooling resources.

The report identifies a critical infrastructure gap in disaster preparedness. Fewer than half of global meteorological services currently issue heat-related warnings. Expanding these systems to 57 nations could prevent approximately 100,000 deaths annually, representing a significant opportunity for life-saving intervention.

ESCAP has announced three strategic initiatives addressing heat preparedness: strengthening climate-resilient social protection systems across borders, creating green cooling corridors in cross-border zones, and deploying satellite technology to enhance early warning capabilities. Executive Secretary Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana emphasised that coordinated regional cooperation is non-negotiable given heat's transnational nature and cascading impacts on human security and economic stability.