The consequences of global warming in Asia

Posted by Elena Fominykh 24 March 2008 (0 comments)

Global warming is now well documented and accepted by scientists as fact. The Earth is the hottest it has been in at least 400 years or possibly even 2000 years. Studies indicate that the average global surface temperature has increased by approximately 0.3-0.6°C over the last century and scientists are predicting an even greater increase over this century. Besides resulting in more hot days, what else can we expect from global warming? How will Asia be affected by it?

The Asian region spans polar, temperate and tropical climates and is home to 3 billion people. As the climate warms, many mountains glaciers may disappear, permafrost will thaw and the northern forests are likely to shift further north. Rapid population growth and development in countries like China and India will put additional pressures on natural ecosystems and will lead to a rapid rise in the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Human health is at stake, as it may result in the spreading of certain diseases like malaria, lyme disease and dengue fever which is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. Already now Southeast Asian nations are battling a surge in dengue cases, amid signs that climate change could make 2008 the worst year on record for a disease that often gets less attention than some higher-profile health risks. Because of global warming, mosquitoes are becoming more active year by year and their geographical reach is expanding both north and south of the Equator. Even Singapore, which is so affluent and modern, can't exercise adequate control.

Higher temperatures will also increase heat-related mortality. Millions of people in Southeast Asia could be forced from their homes and suffer increasing epidemic illness. Rises of the sea level, increased flooding and intensification of tropical cyclones would displace tens of millions of people in low-lying coastal areas of temperate and tropical Asia. Warmer climate, drought, floods and soil degradation will probably diminish food production. Northern areas may see an increase in productivity though.

Not such a long time ago there was an article in Thailand’s local news that Bangkok should be under water in two decades because of rising seas from global warming. "If nothing is done, Bangkok will be at least 50 centimeters to one meter under water," announced Smith Dharmasaroja, head of Thailand's National Disaster Warning Center. Smith's findings show Bangkok subsiding at a rate of 10 cm per year, partly due to excessive pumping of underground water. The National Disaster Warning Center suggested that Bangkok needs to construct a long dyke to protect it from rising seas and increasingly violent storms. If it is really going to happen or not – no one knows. We should leave it in hands of professional scientists.

Can we stop global warming? Can we avoid all the consequences that it will cause?

Drawing on the work of thousands of scientists vetted by officials from over 100 countries, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) reported that future carbon emissions could be controlled using current technology like nuclear or renewable energy — and that it could be done without bankrupting the global economy. Let’s hope that the governments of all countries (including Asia) will co-operate together very soon in order to implement the new technology that will let us produce the energy without using fossil fuels.

At the mean time, we can help to slow the process of global warming as the individuals to ensure our children and grandchildren inherit a healthy world full of opportunities. Start by doing the following:

-Use less power around the house

-Drive less

-Buy a hybrid car or a fuel-efficient car

-Paint your house (light color in hot countries and dark color in cold countries)

-Recycle

-Take shorter showers

-Buy products locally

-Plant trees

-Buy organic food

-Ditch the plastic