More cars -- more flooding

BANGKOK, Thailand, October 22, 2010 – Asia’s coastal megacities will flood more often, on a larger scale, and affect millions more people, if current climate change trends continue, a new report warns.

The report Climate Risks and Adaptation in Asian Coastal Megacities examines the impact of climate change on Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, and Manila, under a range of different scenarios through to 2050. The report is the product of a two-year collaborative study by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the World Bank. It was released here today at the Asia Pacific Climate Change Adaptation Forum....

WorldBank

Cars cause this

China floods force mass evacuation - Asia-Pacific - Al Jazeera English: "More than 120,000 people have been evacuated in Liaoning, a�province in�northeast China�hit by flooding caused by heavy rains.

The floods�have caused four deaths in China so far and forced thousands of people in neighbouring North Korea to relocate.

China's state media said 94,000 people were evacuated from Dandong alone after heavy rain caused the Yalu river to breach its banks, flooding low-lying parts of the northern city."

Sprawl causes climate change AND makes it worse

MANILA (AFP) – Climate change may be playing a part in record rains ravaging Asia but environment experts say the destruction of ecosystems is more directly to blame for the severity of killer floods.

Widespread deforestation, the conversion of wetlands to farms or urban sprawl and the clogging up of natural drainage systems with garbage are just some of the factors exacerbating the impacts of the floods, they say.... Yahoo!News

Commodity Crops & Weather News | Mekong Delta drought hits hard on Vietnam | 15 July 2010 | www.commodityonline.com

Commodity Crops & Weather News | Mekong Delta drought hits hard on Vietnam | 15 July 2010 | www.commodityonline.com: "World’s largest rice exporter, Vietnam’s Mekong Delta which accounts for more than half of its output is hit by drastic climate changes, resulting huge losses of crops.

Drought caused by a hot spell over the past month has hurt rice fields in the region with nearly 100,000 hectares destroyed or partly destroyed.

A total of 25,000 hectares of rice was ruined and yields on another 70,000 hectares will drop sharply, the report said, giving no forecast for output losses."

Climate crisis is now, not future

Bangkok free buses a big success

Free buses save THB3.3 billion for low income riders

The free bus service available from February 2009 to May 2010 have helped save more than 3.3 billion THB in fare for low-income earners.

According to Director of the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority, Opart Petchmunee, the free bus operation which is part of the relief measures of the government could effectively alleviate low-income earners’ burdens from the high cost of living. More than 477 million people used the service during the period.

According to Mr Opart, about 800 free public buses are plying 76 routes around Bangkok in the project. SiamDailyNews

Need of the hour

... the logical way out of our collective quandary over rising fuel prices is to cut our dependence on oil. Easier said than, yes, but it can be done. In fact, initiatives toward an oil-free public transport system have already been launched even in this country. Take for example the e-jeepneys that ply certain routes in Makati and Fort Bonifacio. The e-jeepneys of Metro Manila have even caught the attention of Discovery Channel, which aired not too long ago a documentary on the iconic Philippine mini-buses that run, not on inefficient and filthy internal combustion engines, but on clean and quiet electric motors. Unfortunately, the rest of the public transport sector has been slow to adopt the notion of motorised vehicles that run on batteries. Above all other considerations there is the cost factor that reinforces resistance.

Need of the hour Online