Asia most vulnerable

At an Asian Development Bank (ADB) conference last week in Manila, climate change researchers said Asia could become the world's biggest driver of climate change by 2030. The continent's share of energy use has tripled over the past 30 years alone, according to ADB.

The ADB also said Asia was the most vulnerable region to climate change. Water shortages, extreme weather and low-lying coastal cities could all be severely impacted by only moderate climate change.

Some of Asia’s biggest cities like Bangkok, Jakarta, Karachi, Manila, Mumbai and Shanghai, are vulnerable to sea level rises and unpredictable weather patterns.

Additionally, the ADB said water shortages could knock down crop yields by as much as 30% by 2050.

Can we step up efforts to stimulate low-carbon growth on the scale required? As governments focus on economic growth, is there adequate recognition of the fact that mindless use of fossil fuels could backfire?