Bangladesh, India vulnerable to climate change

A new global ranking of climate change finds most Asian countries including Bangladesh, India, Philippines, Vietnam and Pakistan will face the greatest risks to their populations, ecosystems and business environments.

The index rates 16 countries as “extreme risk,” including nations that represent new Asian economic power and possess significant forecasts of growth. The highest risk categories are major contributors to the ongoing global economic recovery and are vital to the future expansion of Western businesses in particular, which worries environmentalists.

The new Climate Change Vulnerability Index released by global risks advisory firm Maple croft recently enables organisations to identify areas of risk within their operations, supply chains and investments.

According to Maple croft, the countries with the most risk are characterised by high levels of poverty, dense populations, exposure to climate-related events and their reliance on flood and drought-prone agricultural land.

The principal environmental analyst at Maple croft, Dr. Matthew Bunce, said that over the next 30 years the countries vulnerability to climate change will rise due to increases in air temperature, precipitation and humidity.

Maple croft rates Bangladesh to be at highest risk due to its extreme levels of poverty and a high dependency on agriculture, while its government has the lowest capacity of all countries to adapt to predicted changes in the climate. In addition, Bangladesh has the highest risk of drought and flooding.

However, despite the country’s plethora of problems, the Bangladesh economy grew 88 percent between 2000 and 2008 and is expected to grow up to 6.2 percent over the next five years as predicted by International Monitoring Fund.

Source : allheadlinenews.com