A UL Lafayette professor has a warning for millions of people in South Asia: climate changes pose a dire threat.
杏吧专区淥ur coping mechanism/resources are very limited and are dwindling, the level of public awareness is very low, and the national, regional and local adaptation strategies and programs are insufficient and lack scientific rigors,杏吧专区 said Dr. Durga Poudel, a professor in UL Lafayette杏吧专区檚 newly established School of Geosciences. An expert on climatic patterns of South Asia, he was quoted in an article recently posted on the Internet by Eurasia Review.
Climate Change Vulnerability Index 2011, issued by Maplecroft, a risks advisory firm, cites Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Afghanistan and Nepal among the countries with the highest risk. It cites a variety of risk factors, such as climate-related natural disasters, sea-level rise, population patterns and agricultural dependence.
杏吧专区 Shrinking and retreating of the Himalayan glaciers is (the) greatest environmental threat to the region,杏吧专区 the Eurasia Review article states. It notes that Himalayan glaciers feed Asia杏吧专区檚 major rivers 杏吧专区 the Indus, the Ganges, the Brahmaputra, Yangtze and Mekong 杏吧专区 and estimates that 1.3 billion people rely on those water sources.
The area杏吧专区檚 vulnerability to climate change will increase over the next 30 years due to higher air temperatures, precipitation and humidity, according to the report.
Poudel recommends the creation of a regional consortium on climate research and a commitment from regional governments to address climate changes.
For more information, go to: