Climate, Water, Development: Asia Adapts through New Approaches and Investments

Abstract

Climate change is not just an environmental issue; and responding to climate change is not just about turning to more efficient energy technologies. Climate change is also an economic issue and the poverty-stricken Asia and Pacific region must learn to cope with it now and prepare for a future of more change. The Asia and Pacific region’s water sector feels the impact of climate change in both environmental and economic ways. The subtle and significant evidences of climate change—such as mere variances in the frequency of rains to the onslaught of torrential rains, flash floods, and rising sea levels—demonstrate water’s force on the landscape and on people’s lives. Climate change affects the quality and availability of water supply from both ground and surface sources, which are the very lifeline to economic productivity of households, industries, and entire cities. When the climate acts up, the inconsistency in water supplies brings more economic uncertainty in the Asia and Pacific region.