Philippines - Developed, Developing Countries Must Help 11 Asian Cities That Face Appalling Climate Future, WWF Says
December 13, 2009 by Go Green Tips
Dhaka, Manila, Jakarta and other low-lying and impoverished cities top the list of 11 Asian cities which are most vulnerable to “brutal” damage from climate change without global action, environmental group WWF warned.
Energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions must be curtailed in “mega-cities” where global warming will affect everything from national security to water availability, the influential campaign group said.
“Climate change is already shattering cities across developing Asia and will be even more brutal in the future,” said Kim Carstensen, head of the WWF Global Climate Initiative.
The WWF report covers 11 urban centers across Asia, all located in coastal areas or river deltas. Following Dhaka (9 out of 10 possible vulnerability points), other cities at high risk are Manila and Jakarta (8 each), Calcutta and Phnom Penh (7 each), Ho Chi Minh City and Shanghai (6 each), Bangkok (5), and Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong and Singapore (4 each).
“These cities are exposed and need urgent help to adapt, in order to protect the lives of millions of citizens, a massive amount of assets, and their large contributions to the national GDP (gross domestic product),” Carstesten added.
According to Mega-Stress For Mega-Cities, many of the cities analyzed are extremely susceptible to threats such as storms and flooding, while huge numbers of people and assets at stake result in worrying levels of socio-economic sensitivity. At the same time, the cities often lack capacity to protect themselves from devastating impacts.
The report also includes rankings for sub-categories such as environmental exposure, socio-economic sensitivity and adaptive capacity. Poorer cities often lack sufficient adaptive capacity and generally rank higher in terms of their overall vulnerability.
“Leaders in hotspots of danger like Dhaka, Manila or Jakarta need urgent support from their counterparts in the industrialized world. Effective near-term and long-term adaptation will depend on financial support, technology cooperation, and capacity building”, said Carstensen.
WWF said that developed and developing countries must cooperate to prepare these cities for a brutal climate future, highlighting that their sensitivity is yet another compelling reason for a fair, ambitious and binding deal at the Copenhagen Climate Summit.
This week’s APEC summit in Singapore provides leaders from developed and developing countries around the Pacific with a great opportunity to boost cooperation on adaptation to climate impacts as well as low carbon economic growth in December, WWF said.
Calling it as “perhaps the most important law of the land second to the 1991 Local Government Code,” Philippine Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Lito Atienza said the Climate Change Act of 2009, which Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed into law Friday, puts local government units “into the center stage of governance,” given the important roles that city, town, and barangay leaders play in the implementation of climate change adaptation and mitigation programs that will soon be crafted. (PIA)
www.Cebu-Philippines.net is an up-to-date guide to Cebu Philippines and the Philippines. Providing current and relevant information about visa, airlines, hotels, resorts, Philippines vacation, scuba diving, travel, health and wellness.
Fetch important information about the topic of Top Search Engine Position - make sure to go through the web page. The time has come when concise info is really only one click of your mouse, use this opportunity.
