Climate Change - The Effect On South East Asia

There is a recent article in the Straits Times warning about the wide-ranging impact that global warming may have on agriculture, growth and politics in the region. South East Asia will be hit particularly hard by climate change, causing the region's agriculture-dependent economies to contract by as much as 6.7 percent annually by the end of the century.

Four developing countries, namely Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Singapore are especially vulnerable because we have large coastal populations facing rising sea levels, and rely heavily on rice and other agriculture products that could suffer from droughts as well as floods. Climate change is seriously threatening South East Asian families.

If nothing is done to combat global warming, by 2100 the four countries would see temperatures rise an average of 4.8 degree Celsius from the levels in 1990.

Already, climate change has led to extreme weather events such as heat waves, droughts, floods and tropical cyclones in recent decades in South East Asia, which contributed 12 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2000.

Climate change has a wide-ranging effect on the region. The impact of climate change on South East Asia is more that on its economy. It is also on its politics. To cope with climate change, the combination of unemployment, poverty, land-use change and resource problems is necessary to make people better understand its importance.

The key for South East Asia, home to 563 million people, would be protecting its remaining tropical forests which have fallen victim in recent years to widespread illegal logging and the expansion of palm oil plantations.

Deforestation represents as much as 75 percent of greenhouse gas emissions by Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines.

A British government-funded report advised investing in tree planting programmes, better forest management and programmes that pay governments to keep trees in the ground. It also recommended irrigation networks, flood control systems, early warning systems and protection of coastal mangroves.

As much as 80 percent of energy-related carbon emissions could be reduced by 2020 in the countries invested in more energy efficient buildings and public transport, as well as switch to renewable energy such as solar and wind.

Singapore’s Concerns

Singapore, which imports most of our food supply, could be hit by significant damage to crops in neighbouring countries due to global warming. With crop yield projected to fall by an average of 50 percent in Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines by the end of the century, the picture looks gloomy for our resource-poor Republic. Our agriculture sector now contributes less than 1 percent to our gross domestic product.

Coastal land loss is another major concern. A projected rise in sea level of up to 59cm under the worst case scenario would cause parts of Singapore’s coastal land to be submerged. In fact, increased coastal erosion has already affected the East Coast Park.

Climate change is also to blame for the recent spike in dengue cases. More heavy downpours create puddles of stagnant water for the Aedes mosquito to breed. The forecast is also for a grim outlook of more extreme rainfall and winds associated with tropical cyclones.

Each of us has a big part to play and it must begin now. People must begin to understand what global warming is and how we can contribute to the protection of the earth. Singapore is a tiny red dot and the lack of knowledge on this very critical and important subject by people the world over can only result in one outcome – we will disappear from the face of the world map in time to come.

Take some time to think about this, and do something about it, you and I.