Climate Change

Climate

Flooding, drought, cyclones, and other extreme weather ignore national borders.

In the past two decades, more than half of all South Asians, or 750 million people, have been affected by at least one natural disaster such as flooding, drought, or cyclones. Based on current trends, losses in the region will average $160 billion annually by 2030.

Variability in the annual monsoon season, which delivers more than 70 percent of South Asia's rainfall, affects farm production as well as aviation, hydropower, urban infrastructure, and tourism. However, there is limited access to weather information tailored to economic sectors. Targeted weather information can save lives, improve the livelihoods of farmers and business owners, and strengthen the resilience of vulnerable communities.

The World Bank works with partners, including the South Asia Water Initiative and the Program for Asia Resilience to Climate Change, providing technical assistance and analytical support to develop hydromet services and early-warning systems for disasters. Some activities are listed below.

Climate roadmap to help South Asia adapt

Oct. 28, 2021 - A new World Bank roadmap aims to help South Asia adapt to hotter temperatures, melting glaciers, and more severe weather as it decouples economic growth from greenhouse gas emissions.

Read the roadmap for 2021-25

Air pollution in South Asia needs regional approach

July 27, 2021 - About 95 percent of South Asians are breathing air that fails international safety standards. Dirty air from brick kilns, wood stoves, vehicles, and industrial plants blows across national boundaries and requires a collaborative response.

Watch the #OneSouthAsia Conversation

The Economic Case for Nature Report Cover report title in color and abacus type graphic

Making a business case to protect nature and ecosystem services

July 7, 2021 - South Asia's economy is embedded in nature. A new World Bank model finds that a collapse in "ecosystem services" such as crop pollination, fish stocks, and native forests would slash regional GDP by 6.5% or $320 billion.

Read the report

South Asia needs a united voice at UN climate, biodiversity meetings

Apr 22, 2021 - The cross-border consequences of climate change and ecological degradation demand collaborative action, not national plans. The world needs to hear a united voice from South Asia so the region receives attention and support at the multilateral level.

Read the blog

10 innovators to test climate resilience and disaster response technology

Jan. 12, 2021 - The TechEmerge Challenge announced 10 innovators will pilot technology to help India respond to disasters and build climate resilience. The innovators will partner with India's national and state disaster agencies for the pilots.

Read about the technology

Is air pollution aggravating COVID-19 in South Asia?

June 23, 2020 - Pandemic lockdowns provided a respite but previous exposure to air pollution has likely made more South Asians vulnerable to contracting severe respiratory diseases, including complications from COVID-19.

Read the blog

South Asia cooperates to fight climate threats and disasters

May 14, 2020 - A new regional project, Climate Adaptation and Resilience for South Asia, will help make agriculture, transport, and other pandemic-ravaged sectors more resilient to climate change.

Read the blog

VIDEO

Regional integration, cooperation, and engagement can address climate risks

Sept. 24, 2021 - A big part of our regional integration work is helping South Asia build a green, resilience, inclusive response to climate change. Watch this video to learn more about our activities supporting regional cooperation.

Publications

The changing climate hurts human physical and mental health

Climate Afflictions

Oct. 7, 2021 - Changing weather patterns affect physical and mental health. In Bangladesh, hotter summers and longer monsoons are contributing to more respiratory diseases, mosquito-borne diseases like dengue, and mental health conditions.

Read the report

Glaciers of the Himalayas: Climate Change, Black Carbon, and Regional Resilience

June 3, 2021 - Soot emissions from brick-making kilns and home cookstoves are speeding glacier melt in the Himalayas. A new report estimates the impact on downstream areas of the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra river basins through 2040.

Read the report

Coping with Climate Change in the Sundarbans: Lessons from Multidisciplinary Studies

Nov 12, 2020 - The Sundarbans is on the front line of climate change, battered by rising seas, intense flooding, and groundwater salinization. Research into impacts on residents' health and livelihoods can help other areas cope with similar changes in the future.

Read the report

Strategic Priorities of the Government of Nepal in Managing Climate and Disaster Risk

June 26, 2020 - Nepal's government identified four goals for its disaster risk financing strategy: maintain a sound fiscal balance, reduce the impact of disasters on public services and livelihoods, prearrange financing mechanisms, and protect the most vulnerable.

Read the report

2019 South Asia Hydromet Forum: Pathways for Regional Collaboration

Jan. 15, 2020 - The 2019 South Asia Hydromet Forum gathered meteorologists and technical experts from all eight nations plus neighboring Myanmar to build momentum for regional collaboration to protect lives and livelihoods from extreme weather.

Read the report

South Asia's Hotspots: Impacts of Temperature and Precipitation on Living Standards

June 28, 2018 - Higher temperatures and shifting rainfall patterns will reduce living standards in communities across South Asia. More than 800 million people in South Asia live in communities on track to become hotspots.