2 September 2009: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) presented, during the South Asia Regional Climate Change Conference on “A Vision for Addressing Climate Change Risks and Vulnerabilities in the Himalayas,” the preliminary findings of a study that highlights how melting Himalayan glaciers and other climate change impacts pose a direct threat to the water and food security of more than 1.6 billion people in South Asia.

The preliminary findings analyze current trends and scenarios based on projected temperature increases, and warn that four countries in South Asia – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India and Nepal – are particularly vulnerable to falling crop yields caused by glacier retreat, floods, droughts, erratic rainfall and other climate change impacts.
Produced by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), the study, “Addressing Climate Change in the Asia and Pacific Region: Building Climate Resilience in the Agriculture Sector,” will be officially launched by ADB on the sidelines of the UNFCCC meeting in Bangkok in late September. [ADB press release]