Climate Risks in South Asia

Why South Asia is one of the regions most exposed to climate change, from floods and heat to glacier melt, and the economic costs.

South Asia is one of the regions most vulnerable to climate change. Its large, often poor populations, dependence on agriculture and exposure to monsoons, cyclones, heat and rising seas put it at high risk.

Major risks

Floods: in 2022, record monsoon rains flooded around a third of Pakistan. A post-disaster assessment estimated damages and economic losses of over 30 billion dollars, and millions of people were displaced.
Heatwaves: extreme heat, increasingly common in India and Pakistan, harms health, reduces labour productivity and damages crops.
Cyclones: Bangladesh and eastern India face powerful cyclones from the Bay of Bengal.
Sea-level rise: low-lying coastal areas of Bangladesh and the Maldives are at risk. The Maldives, where most land is only about a metre above sea level, faces an existential threat.
Glacier melt: Himalayan glaciers feed major rivers like the Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra. Faster melting may raise flood risks in the short term and reduce water flows in the long term.

Economic costs

Climate change threatens agriculture, which employs many people, and infrastructure, health and labour productivity. The World Bank has warned that climate impacts could significantly reduce living standards across South Asia without strong adaptation.

Responses

Early warning systems and cyclone shelters, which have greatly reduced cyclone deaths in Bangladesh and India.
Climate-resilient agriculture.
Heat action plans.
Regional cooperation on river management and disaster response.
International climate finance, as South Asian countries have contributed relatively little to global emissions per person.

Bangladesh's cyclone shelters

In 1970, a cyclone killed hundreds of thousands of people in what is now Bangladesh. Since then, Bangladesh has built thousands of cyclone shelters and developed early warning systems with volunteers who alert communities. Recent cyclones of similar strength have killed far fewer people, showing that adaptation can save many lives.

Thinking the region can do nothing about climate risks

South Asia cannot stop global climate change alone, but adaptation, from early warnings to resilient crops and better water management, has already saved many lives and can reduce economic losses.

Key takeaways

South Asia is highly vulnerable to floods, heat, cyclones, sea-level rise and glacier melt.
Pakistan's 2022 floods caused over 30 billion dollars in damages and losses.
The Maldives faces an existential threat from rising seas.
Early warnings, cyclone shelters and resilient agriculture show adaptation works.