CLIMATE CHANGE
Achara Ashayagachat
The World Bank has urged Asian cities to come up with climate resilient programmes to safeguard people from natural hazards triggered by climate change and rising sea levels.
Coastal cities in Burma, China, Thailand and Vietnam are among the most vulnerable to rising sea levels, disaster response and climate change experts told a seminar on climate change impact reduction held by the World Bank in Pattaya this week.
Extreme weather caused by climate change has threatened many Asian cities and could undercut economic progress in the region, they said.
With climate change causing a rise in sea levels, some Asian cities are at a greater risk from storm surges and annual flooding. A projected one-metre rise in sea levels could lead to a two per cent loss of gross domestic product arising from a shortage of fresh water, the impact on agriculture and fisheries, the disruption of tourism and reduced energy security, the experts said.
"The degree of impact from which cities suffer from climate change will ultimately depend on the actions and initiatives local governments take to build a more climate-resilient city," said Jim Adams, vice-president for the World Bank for the East Asia and Pacific Region.
"City officials need to understand characteristics that make their cities vulnerable to disaster risk and develop a strategy to deal with it. They need to make the city climate-proof in order to protect city residents and properties from extreme weather," said Mr Adams.
Home to an urban population of more than 660 million, East Asia is already susceptible to natural hazards. The region has been hit by many natural disasters this year, including the cyclone in Burma, the earthquake in China and a typhoon in the Philippines.
Millions have been affected by these disasters _ nearly 200,000 people have died and tens of thousands are missing.
These natural disasters seem to be getting worse, while global warming is also causing an increase in their intensity and frequency. The International Red Cross and Red Crescent reported 428 disasters from 1994-1998. That figure jumped to 707 from 1999-2003 with the greatest rise in developing countries.
Prev
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
Next
