Climate change is likely to be one of the most significant development challenges confronting Southeast Asia in the 21st century. Home to 563 million people, its population is rising almost 2% annually, compared with the global average of 1.4%. It has long coastlines; high concentration of population and economic activities in coastal areas; heavy reliance on agriculture for providing livelihoods—especially those at or below the poverty lines—and high dependence on natural resources and forestry in many of its countries.
Climate change is already affecting the region. The IPCC (2007) reports an increasing trend in mean surface air temperature in Southeast Asia during the past several decades, with 0.1–0.3°C increase per decade recorded between 1951 and 2000. The region has also experienced a decreasing trend in rainfall and rising sea levels (at 1–3 mm per year). The frequency and intensity of extreme weather events have also increased in recent decades. This includes more heat waves (such as increases in the number of hot days and warm nights and decreases in the number of cold days and cold nights); a significant increase in the number of heavy precipitations events; and an increase in the number of tropical cyclones. This climatic changes have led to massive flooding, landslides, and droughts in many parts of the region, causing extensive damage to property, assets, and human life. Climate change is also exacerbating water shortages in many areas, constraining agricultural production and threatening food security, causing forest fires and degradation, damaging coastal and marine resources, and increasing the risk of outbreaks of infectious diseases.
If the world continues on a “business as usual” basis, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam could experience annual damages equal to 6% of the countries’ GDP by 2100. Climate change threatens food supplies and financial income.
The report states that taking early action will far outweigh the costs.
Source: The Economics of Climate Change in Southeast Asia: A Regional Review (PDF) – Asian Development Bank (ADB) report
Date: April 2009
Source: Southeast Asia Faces Soaring Economic Costs If Climate Change Action Delayed – ADB News Release
Date: 27 April 2009
