Global Warming in South Asia: 800 Million at Risk

Climate change could sharply diminish living conditions for up to 800 million people in South Asia, a region that is already home to some of the world’s poorest and hungriest people, if nothing is done to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, the World Bank warned Thursday in an ominous new study.

The World Bank defines a decline of more than 8 percent in household
 living standards as high or “severe”; four to eight percent as moderate;
and zero to four percent as low. Living standards are measured by
per capita consumption expenditures.

The study looked at all six countries of South Asia, where average annual temperatures are rising steadily and rainfall patterns are already changing. It concentrated on changes in day-to-day weather, rather than sudden-onset natural disasters, and identified “hot spots” where the deterioration is expected to be most severe.

“The analyses reveal that hot spots tend to be more disadvantaged districts, even before the effects of changes in average weather are felt,” the report concluded. “Hot spots are characterized by low household consumption, poor road connectivity, limited access to markets, and other development challenges.”

Read the story from The New York Times - “Global Warming in South Asia: 800 Million at Risk.”