Climate change threatens water, food security of South Asia - ADB
Melting Himalayan glaciers and other climate change impacts pose a
direct threat to the water and food security of more than 1.6 billion
people in South Asia, according to preliminary findings of a new study
financed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
Analyzing current trends and scenarios based on projected temperature
increases, the study warns that four countries in South Asia -
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India and Nepal - are particularly vulnerable
to falling crop yields caused by glacier retreat, floods, droughts,
erratic rainfall and other climate change impacts.
"South Asia's vulnerability to climate change has extremely serious
implications for agriculture and therefore food security," Director
General of ADB's South Asia Department Kunio Senga, said after a major
climate change conference in the Nepalese Capital Kathmandu.
Produced by the International Food Policy Research Institute, the
study, "Addressing Climate Change in the Asia and Pacific Region:
Building Climate Resilience in the Agriculture Sector", will be
officially launched by ADB on the sidelines of the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change meeting in Bangkok in late
September.
The study warns that if current trends persist until 2050, the yields
of irrigated crops in South Asia will decrease significantly - maize
(-17 per cent), wheat (-12 per cent) and rice (-10 per cent) - because
of climate change - induced heat and water stress. Resulting food
scarcity will lead to higher prices and reduced caloric intake across
the region. Under this scenario, per capital calorie availability in
2050 will be below levels recorded in the year 2000.
Almost half of the world's absolute poor live in South Asia, where
they tend to depend on rain-fed agriculture and live in settlements that
are highly exposed to climate variability.
The study outlines a range of agricultural adaptation measures that
can significantly reduce the region's vulnerability to climate change
impacts.
These include investments in irrigation expansion and water resource
management, farm-to-market roads, and agriculture research and
dissemination.
The conference organized by the Government of Nepal in collaboration
with ADB, the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA), the UK
Department for International Development (DFID) and the World Bank - was
held to reach a consensus on key issues to be raised by South Asia
governments during climate change talks in Copenhagen in December.
Senior delegations from environment ministries in Afghanistan,
Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka attended the August 31
to September 1 event.
|