Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. 24/7 Space News .




CLIMATE SCIENCE
Pacific region faces economic risk from climate change: ADB
by Staff Writers
Manila, Philippines (UPI) Nov 26, 2013


disclaimer: image is for illustration purposes only

The Pacific region could experience economic losses of as much as 12.7 percent of annual gross domestic product by 2100 as a result of climate change, an Asian Development Bank report warns.

The ADB report -- "Economics of Climate Change in the Pacific" -- focuses on 14 developing Pacific nations: the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

The bank says most of the countries will see average annual temperatures rise by 3.24 degrees Fahrenheit by 2050.

"If the world were to stay on the current fossil-fuel intensive growth model -- the business-as-usual scenario -- total climate change cost in the Pacific is estimated to reach 12.7 percent of annual gross domestic product equivalent by 2100," the ADB report, released Tuesday, states.

Of the 14 nations studied, Papua New Guinea, or PNG, would suffer the worst economically, with climate change triggering a loss of as much as 15.2 percent of its GDP by 2100. The bank predicts Timor-Leste's GDP to drop by up to 10 percent, followed by Vanuatu at 6.2 percent, Solomon Islands at 4.7 percent, Fiji at 4.0 percent and Samoa at 3.8 percent.

In the meantime, the report says, the region will need $447 million every year until 2050 to prepare for worst-case scenarios caused by climate change.

"It is critical that countries contributing to the problem of climate change step up to assist Pacific friends and neighbors in the fight to protect their countries against natural disasters, crop losses, and forced migration," said Xianbin Yao, Director General of ADB's Pacific Department, in a release. "Our findings show that if not adequately addressed, climate change could overturn the region's development achievements."

The study includes assessments of potential impacts on agriculture, fisheries and tourism.

For example, sweet potato crops in Papua New Guinea and the Solomons could fall by 50 percent by 2050. The study predicts catches of skipjack tuna for the western Pacific will decline by an average of more than 20 percent, and for PNG by as much as 30 percent.

Total international tourist arrivals in the region more than doubled from a half million visitors to approximately 1.3 million between 1990 and 2011, but the study estimates the impact of climate change would reduce tourism revenues by 27 to 34 percent by the end of the century.

"By making climate change adaptation truly integral to their policy-making and decision-making

processes, the Pacific island-nations could plan against the adverse impacts of climate change and

continue their efforts to achieve poverty eradication and sustainable development for the region," the report says.

.


Related Links
Climate Science News - Modeling, Mitigation Adaptation






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








CLIMATE SCIENCE
Even if emissions stop, carbon dioxide could warm Earth for centuries
Princeton NJ (SPX) Nov 26, 2013
Even if carbon dioxide emissions came to a sudden halt, the carbon dioxide already in Earth's atmosphere could continue to warm our planet for hundreds of years, according to Princeton University-led research published in the journal Nature Climate Change. The study suggests that it might take a lot less carbon than previously thought to reach the global temperature scientists deem unsafe. ... read more


CLIMATE SCIENCE
We're Going to the Moon!

NASA Spacecraft Begins Collecting Lunar Atmosphere Data

Big Boost for China's Moon Lander

Rediscovered Apollo data gives first measure of how fast Moon dust piles up

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Winter Means Less Power for Solar Panels

Unusual greenhouse gases may have raised ancient Martian temperature

How Habitable Is Mars? A New View of the Viking Experiments

Rover Team Working to Diagnose Electrical Issue

CLIMATE SCIENCE
International Space Station to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner

NASA Advances Effort to Launch Astronauts Again from US Soil to Space Station

Israeli experts launches space studies course for teachers

Success of 'New Space' era hinges on public's interest

CLIMATE SCIENCE
"Gravity" director wants China to take him into space

Teal Identifies Over 3,000 Payloads For Launch By 2032

China shows off moon rover model before space launch

China providing space training

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Russians take Olympic torch on historic spacewalk

Russia launches Sochi Olympic torch into space

Spaceflight Joins with NanoRacks to Deploy Satellites from the ISS

Crew Completes Preparations for Soyuz Move

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Stepping up Vega launcher production

Czech and XCOR Sign Payload Integrator Agreement for Suborbital Flights

Spaceflight Deploys Planet Labs' Dove 3 Spacecraft from the Dnepr

Arianespace orders ten new Vega launchers from ELV

CLIMATE SCIENCE
NASA Kepler Results Usher in a New Era of Astronomy

Astronomers answer key question: How common are habitable planets?

One in five Sun-like stars may have Earth-like planets

Mystery World Baffles Astronomers

CLIMATE SCIENCE
What might recyclable satellites look like?

Overcoming Brittleness: New Insights into Bulk Metallic Glass

SlipChip Counts Molecules with Chemistry and a Cell Phone

NASA Instrument Determines Hazards of Deep-Space Radiation




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement