Asia's cities most vulnerable to climate change effects, says WWF

Dhaka, Manila and Jakarta are the Asian cities most vulnerable to the stronger storms and higher sea levels that will result from global warming this century, according to a new WWF study of 11 major metropolises in the region.

The report, released earlier today and titled Mega-Stress for Mega-Cities, warns that "Asia is the most populous and arguably the most vulnerable continent in the world" when it comes to climate change impacts, with large areas at "high risk" from increased flooding and salt water inundation of agricultural land.

The Bangladeshi capital Dhaka was rated as the Asian city most susceptible to the effects of global warming, scoring nine points on the WWF's 10-point " vulnerability" scale. Its high score is due in part to the fact that it is only metres above sea level and has already sunk between 0.6m and 1.9m, according to WWF.

Fellow low-lying and impoverished cities Manila and Jakarta were also highlighted as facing very high risks of disruption, both scoring an eight on the vulnerability ranking.

Financial hubs Hong Kong and Singapore were both deemed to face lower risks, with the report arguing that wealthier metropolises tended to be better adapted in terms of mitigating damage from extreme weather conditions – such as typhoons and flooding – given the ample capital resources available.

"Leaders in hotspots of danger like Dhaka, Manila or Jakarta need urgent support from their counterparts in the industrialised world," said Kim Carstensen, head of WWF's global climate initiative.

Financial support and technology cooperation are key to helping the cities better adapt to the inevitable effects of climate change, he added.

The report was released to coincide with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit taking place this week in Singapore.

Carstensen said that the event provides a "great opportunity" for leaders " to boost cooperation on adaptation to climate impacts as well as low carbon economic growth", ahead of the UN climate change talks in Copenhagen next month.

"APEC is the last chance before Copenhagen for leaders from a number of key countries to show that they really want to protect the planet from climate change," he said.