Sunday, January 09, 2011

Vulnerability of Asian Cities to Climate Change

Access the full report on InfoChangeIndia

The report lists Dhaka in Bangladesh as the most vulnerable to climate change impacts. It is a large but relatively poor city and is located just metres above current sea levels. It is regularly impacted by tropical cyclones and flooding and has very limited adaptive capacity.

Jakarta and Manila are also extremely vulnerable cities and tie for second rank, largely because of their size, degree of exposure (both experience frequent flooding), and relatively low adaptive capacity. Kolkata and Phnom Penh tie for third most vulnerable city, largely because Kolkata is prone to saltwater intrusion and the effects of sea level rise, while Phnom Penh has very low adaptive capacity.

Each city is given a score card that lists particular vulnerabilities: to environmental exposure (storm threat, sea level rise, flooding/drought), socio-economic sensitivity (population, assets threatened) and inverse adaptive capacity, that is, its inability to adapt.

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