Home Science Asian cities face perfect storm of environmental hazards

Asian cities face perfect storm of environmental hazards

Asian cities face perfect storm of environmental hazards

Subscribe to our free daily newsletters

FROTH AND BUBBLE

Asian cities face perfect storm of environmental hazards

By Marlowe HOOD

Paris (AFP) May 13, 2021


Of the 100 cities worldwide most vulnerable to environmental hazards all but one are in Asia, and most are in India or China, according to a risk assessment published Thursday.

Across the globe, more than 400 large cities with a total population of 1.5 billion are at “high” or “extreme” risk due to some mixture of life-shortening pollution, dwindling water supplies, deadly heat waves, natural disasters and climate change, the report found.

The sinking megalopolis of Jakarta — plagued by pollution, flooding and heat waves, with worse to come — topped the ranking, while two other Indonesian cities are in the top 10: Surabaya (fourth) and Bandung (eighth).

Pakistan’s two biggest urban agglomerations, Karachi (12th) and Lahore (15th), are not far behind.

But India, home to 13 of the world’s 20 most risk-laden cities, may face the most daunting future of any country.

Delhi ranks second on the global index of 576 cities compiled by business risk analysts Verisk Maplecroft, followed within India by Chennai (third), Agra (sixth), Kanpur (10th), Jaipur (22nd) and Lucknow (24th).

Mumbai and its 12.5 million people is ranked 27th.

Looking only at air pollution — which causes more than seven million premature deaths worldwide each year, including a million in India alone — the 20 cities with the worst air quality in the world among urban areas of at least a million people are all in India. Delhi is in pole position.

“Together, China and India account for 286 million of the 336 million people living in cities at extreme risk for pollution,” the report found.

The air pollution assessment was weighted towards the impact of microscopic, health-wrecking particles known as PM2.5, cast off in large measure by the burning of coal and other fossil fuels.

– China’s middle class –

Outside Asia, the Middle East and North Africa have the largest proportion of “high risk” cities across all threat categories combined, but Lima is the only non-Asian city to crack the top 100.

“Home to more than half the world’s population and a key driver of wealth, cities are already coming under serious strain from dire air quality, water scarcity and natural hazards,” the report’s lead author Will Nichols told AFP.

“In many Asian countries these hubs are going to become less hospitable as population pressures grow and climate change amplifies threats from pollution and extreme weather, threatening their role as wealth generators for national economies.”

While richer than India, China faces formidable environmental challenges as well.

Thirty-five of the 50 cities worldwide most beset by water pollution are in China, as are all but two of the top 15 facing water stress, according to the report.

But different political systems and levels of development may ultimately play in China’s favour, Nichols said.

“For China, an emerging middle class is increasingly demanding cleaner air and water, which is being reflected in government targets,” he told AFP.

– Africa hit hardest –

“China’s top-down governance structure — and willingness to take abrupt measures, such as shutting down factories to meet emissions goals — gives it more of a chance of mitigating these risks.”

India’s weaker governance, coupled with the size and scale of its informal economy, makes it far harder to address environmental and climate issues at the city level, he added.

When it comes to global warming and its impacts, the focus shifts sharply to sub-Saharan Africa, home to 40 of the 45 most climate-vulnerable cities on the planet.

The continent least responsible for rising global temperatures will get hit the hardest not only because of worse droughts, heat waves, storms and flooding, but also because it is so ill-equipped to cope.

“Africa’s two most populous cities, Lagos and Kinshasa, are among those at highest risk,” the report noted.

Other especially vulnerable cities include Monrovia, Brazzaville, Freetown, Kigali, Abidjan and Mombasa.

The climate index combined the threat of extreme events, human vulnerability, and the ability of countries to adapt.

Related Links

Our Polluted World and Cleaning It Up



Thanks for being here;

We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook – our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don’t have a paywall – with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.


SpaceDaily Contributor

$5 Billed Once

credit card or paypal


SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly

paypal only




FROTH AND BUBBLE
French court dismisses case over Agent Orange use in Vietnam War

Evry, France (AFP) May 10, 2021


An elderly French-Vietnamese woman failed Monday in her bid to sue Monsanto and other makers of the toxic chemical Agent Orange over its use by the US as a weapon during the Vietnam War, after a French court ruled that the companies had legal immunity because they were working for a sovereign government.

Tran To Nga, born in 1942 in what was then French Indochina, accused 14 agrochemicals firms of causing grievous harm to her and others by selling Agent Orange to the American military, which used th … read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.

Apollo Lunar Rocket Engine For Sale

Source

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
Read Comments

Related Posts

0

Ad Blocker Detected!

Refresh