Study says warming poses peril to Asia

A new report released by the Asian Development Bank highlights impacts climate change may have on Southeast Asia, one of the most vulnerable regions in the world due to the high number of impoverished people living near the coast.  Projected impacts included rising sea levels that threaten to submerge small islands, salt water intrusion into aquifers used for drinking water, and diminished rice harvests. Although there are already signs of these changes starting occur in the region, which includes Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, and Vietnam, the authors of the report believe that there is still time for adaptation strategies to be implemented.  The report urges governments to take greater action and not use the current economic crisis as an excuse for delay, “as climate change adaptation can serve as an effective fiscal stimulus.”