A new normal? Really?
There is nothing normal here nor should the global community believe there must be a new normal. Not when it comes to the climate crisis and the tragedies that accompany it.
By Aniruddha Ghosal and Anton L. DelGado
Songkhla Province, southern Vietnam
Southeast Asia (click here) is being pummeled by unusually severe floods this year, as late-arriving storms and relentless rains wreak havoc that has caught many places off guard.
Deaths have topped 1,400 across Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, with more than 1,000 still missing in floods and landslides. In Indonesia, entire villages remain cut off after bridges and roads were swept away. Thousands in Sri Lanka lack clean water, while Thailand’s prime minister acknowledged shortcomings in his government’s response.
Malaysia is still reeling from one its worst floods, which killed three and displaced thousands. Meanwhile, Vietnam and the Philippines have faced a year of punishing storms and floods that have left hundreds dead.
What feels unprecedented is exactly what climate scientists expect: A new normal of punishing storms, floods and devastation.
“Southeast Asia should brace for a likely continuation and potential worsening of extreme weather in 2026 and for many years immediately following that,” said Jemilah Mahmood, who leads the think tank Sunway Centre for Planetary Health in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia....
Southeast Asia (click here) is being pummeled by unusually severe floods this year, as late-arriving storms and relentless rains wreak havoc that has caught many places off guard.
Deaths have topped 1,400 across Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, with more than 1,000 still missing in floods and landslides. In Indonesia, entire villages remain cut off after bridges and roads were swept away. Thousands in Sri Lanka lack clean water, while Thailand’s prime minister acknowledged shortcomings in his government’s response.
Malaysia is still reeling from one its worst floods, which killed three and displaced thousands. Meanwhile, Vietnam and the Philippines have faced a year of punishing storms and floods that have left hundreds dead.
What feels unprecedented is exactly what climate scientists expect: A new normal of punishing storms, floods and devastation.
“Southeast Asia should brace for a likely continuation and potential worsening of extreme weather in 2026 and for many years immediately following that,” said Jemilah Mahmood, who leads the think tank Sunway Centre for Planetary Health in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia....
