Climate catastrophe in Asia?

Asia will be among the worst affected by rising temperatures, extreme weather patterns and floods is caused by climate change. According to the research done by the Asian Development Bank, the resulted damage will extend from fall in crop yields to bleaching of coral reefs.

Affected countries

Most of the flu gases from the combustion of fossil fuels emanates from the northern hemisphere. Yet, it will be the Global South that will bear the brunt of flooding, storms and droughts.

Most countries in North America and Western Europe will be least affected by the changing weather pattern. Latin America, has been classified as a county with “intermediate” vulnerability. Most of South Asia, South East Asia and parts of Africa, are designated as high-risk countries.

Analysis

The report

Summer temperatures in north-west China, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Tajikistan are expected to step up by as much as 8 degrees by 2100. Rainfall is forecasted to increase by more than 50 % in many areas of Asia-Pacific region. This will cause increase flooding as its seen in many parts of India, Southern China & Japan.  

A continued dependence on fossil fuels will expose some of the world's most populous regions to prolonged heat waves, rising sea levels and changing rainfall patterns. This will disrupt the ecosystem, damage livelihoods and possibly trigger conflicts.

By the turn of the century, parts of the Asian continent could see temperatures rise by eight degrees above pre-industrial levels.

A business-as-usual scenario will lead to disastrous climate impacts for the people of Asia and the Pacific, especially for poor and vulnerable populations.

Asia would will see the sea levels rise by 1.4 metres (4.6 feet) within this century, nearly twice the projected increase under the Paris deal.

Melting Asian glaciers would cause both floods and water shortages, disrupting agriculture, and increase dependence on rainfall to meet water needs.

The study projects additional heat-related deaths of nearly 52,000 elderly people across the region annually by the 2050s, nearly 8,000 extra diarrhoeal deaths in South Asia, and some 10,000 more malaria and dengue deaths in Asia.

Deadly or debilitating mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue fever are likely to exponentially increase. These and other growing hardships could further drive migration of people from the Pacific Islands to Australia and Bangladesh to India.

Assessment

Our assessment is that, it will be the poor and the marginalised who will have to bear the brunt of such catastrophe. With increase in population there will be fewer resources that can be shared which might lead to conflicts as many have predicted. Is this the prophesised Armageddon?