From June 6 to 8, the G8 leaders will meet for their annual summit in Heiligendamm, Germany. "Growth and responsibility" are the central themes of G8 2007 summit. The framework conditions for the global economy, involving the largest emerging economies in the system of global responsibility and climate protection issues will be key focuses of this year's G8 Summit. Against this background Brazil, China, India, Mexico, and South Africa are invited to attend.
The environment ministers of G8 and these emerging countries have already debated, as part of pre-summit activities, on various strategies to address climate change. They have also discussed ways to launch comprehensive negotiations at the UN climate summit due to take place at the end of this year in Indonesia.
Climate Change and South Asia
Climate change is no longer an issue for the distant future. Climate change is already taking place, and the South Asian countries, particularly the poorest people, are most at risk.
The impacts of higher temperatures, more variable precipitation, more extreme weather events, and sea level rise are felt in South Asia and will continue to intensify.
These changes are already having major impacts on the economic performance of South Asian countries and on the lives and livelihoods of millions of poor people.
• Glacier melting in the Himalayas is projected to increase flooding and will affect water resources within the next two to three decades. • Climate change will compound the pressures on natural resources and the environment due to rapid urbanization, industrialization, and economic development. • Crop yields could decrease up to 30% in South Asia by the mid-21st century. • Mortality due to diarrhea primarily associated with floods and droughts will rise in South Asia. • Sea-level rise will exacerbate inundation, storm surge, erosion and other coastal hazards.
Impact on South Asia’s poor
The consequences of such environmental changes include:
• decreased water availability and water quality in many arid and semiarid regions • an increased risk of floods and droughts in many regions • reduction in water regulation in mountain habitats • decreases in reliability of hydropower and biomass production • increased incidence of waterborne diseases such as malaria, dengue, and cholera • increased damages and deaths caused by extreme weather events • decreased agricultural productivity • adverse impacts on fisheries • adverse effects on many ecological systems
As a result of these changes, climate change could hamper the achievement of many of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), including those on poverty eradication, child mortality, malaria, and other diseases, and environmental sustainability.
Much of this damage would come in the form of severe economic shocks. In addition, the impacts of climate change will exacerbate existing social and environmental problems and lead to migration within and across national borders.
In sum, climate change is clearly not just an environmental issue but one with severe socioeconomic implications in South Asia.
Climate change thus directly affects the World Bank Group’s mission of eradicating poverty. The World Bank has already started to address these concerns by integrating comprehensive climate risk management into development planning, programs, and projects.
The World Bank has identified the following key development areas directly affected by climate change:
Human health, Water supply and sanitation, Energy, Transport, Industry, mining and construction, Trade and tourism, Agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, Environmental protection, and Disaster management
Health impact of air and water pollution in Bangladesh This report analyzes the health impact of air and water pollution in Bangladesh using the most recently available data. (Read More »)
Management of Water Quality in Dhaka Economic cost due to poor management of water resources in Dhaka is estimated at US$ 500 million annually. (Read More »)
Expanding Renewable Energy in Bangladesh The Government of Bangladesh has established a goal of providing electrical power to all its citizens. Renewable energy is a key component of the initiative. (Read More »)
India
Country Water Resources Assistance Strategy This report examines the evolution of the management of India's waters, it describes the achievements of the past, and the looming set of challenges. (Read More »)
Unlocking Opportunities for Forest-Dependent People in India A new World Bank report, "Unlocking Opportunities for Forest-Dependent People in India" by Grant Milne, suggests that if national and state level reforms are introduced and forest productivity improved, rural poverty can be reduced significantly and government revenues increased. (Read More »)
For a Breath of Fresh Air: Ten Years of Progress and Challenges in urban air quality management in India The report presents a retrospective analysis of urban air pollution data with a focus on particulate air pollution from 1993 to 2002 in Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai. (Read More »)
Better Crops, Higher Incomes for Farmers in Karnataka Watershed Average annual household income for the one million people who lived in the area was approximately US$222. (Read More on IDA at Work »)
Pakistan
Pakistan: Country Water Resources Assistance Strategy An important element of Bank support will be training a new generation of multi-disciplinary water resources specialists and support for multi-disciplinary centers of excellence for water resources natural and social sciences. (Read More »)
Pakistan Water Economy Pakistan is one of the world’s most arid countries. The Indus River is the country’s only major river system. (Read More »)
Household use of commercial energy in Pakistan Between 1994 and 2001, prices of electricity, natural gas, kerosene, and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) rose more rapidly than the consumer price index (CPI), potentially offering insights into how households might react to, and manage, sharply rising energy prices. (Read More »)
Other Reports of Interest
Building Country Capacity to Combat Climate Change Providing people, institutions, and developing countries with the tools and training to make choices about the environment is a critical element of Global Environment Facility (GEF) climate change projects. (Read More »)
Manage Climate Risk: Integrating adaptation into World Bank Group Operations Climate change is already taking place, and further changes are inevitable. The way to address these concerns is not to separate climate change adaptation from other priorities but to integrate comprehensive climate risk management into development planning, programs, and projects. (Read More »)
Will Markets direct investments under Kyoto Protocol? Under the Kyoto Protocol, countries can meet treaty obligations by investing in projects that reduce or sequester greenhouse gases elsewhere. (Read More »)
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