News
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Climate change can have severe consequences for South AsiaWASHINGTON: South Asian crop yields could fall by as much as 30 percent by the middle of the century on account of global warming, according to a new report issued by the World Bank. Other findings say that glacier melting in the Himalayas is projected to increase flooding and will affect water resources within the next two to three decades. Climate change will compound the pressures on natural resources and the environment due to rapid urbanisation, industrialisation, and economic development. Mortality due to diarrhoea, primarily associated with floods and droughts, will rise. Sea-level rise will exacerbate inundation, storm surge, erosion and other coastal hazards. The impact of these changes, says the report, will be quite devastating. The consequences for the poor include: decreased water availability and water quality in many arid and semi-arid regions, an increased risk of floods and droughts in many regions, reduction in water regulation in mountain habitats, decreases in reliability of hydropower and biomass production, increased incidence of waterborne diseases such as malaria, dengue, and cholera, increased damages and deaths caused by extreme weather events, decreased agricultural productivity, adverse impacts on fisheries and adverse effects on many ecological systems. The World Bank report said that as a result of these changes, climate change could hamper the achievement of many Millennium Development Goals, including those on poverty eradication, child mortality, malaria, and other diseases, and environmental sustainability. Much of this damage would come in the form of severe economic shocks. In addition, the impact of climate change will exacerbate existing social and environmental problems and lead to migration within and across national borders. khalid hasan
Courtesy DailyTimes.com.pk