Climate change

Climate change is already happening and represents one of the greatest

environmental, social and economic threats facing the planet.
The Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC) shows that the Earth's average surface temperature has risen by
0.76° C since 1850. Most of the warming over the past 50 years is very likely to have
been caused by emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other 'greenhouse gases'
from human activities.
Without action to reduce these emissions, the global average temperature is likely to
rise by a further 1.8-4.0°C this century, and by up to 6.4°C in the worst case
scenario, the IPCC projects. Even the lower end of this range would take the
temperature increase since pre-industrial times above 2°C - the threshold beyond
which many scientists believe irreversible and possibly catastrophic changes would
become more likely.
The European Union has long been at the forefront of international efforts to combat
climate change and was instrumental in the development of the two United Nations
climate treaties, the 1992 UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
and the Kyoto Protocol, agreed in 1997.
The EU has also been taking steps to limit its greenhouse gas emissions since the
early 1990s.
In 2000 the European Commission launched the European Climate Change
Programme (ECCP) which has led to the adoption of a wide range of new policies and
measures, including the pioneering EU Emissions Trading System.
The Kyoto Protocol requires the 15 countries that were EU members at the time ('EU-
15') to reduce their collective emissions in the 2008-2012 period to 8% below 1990
levels. Emissions monitoring and projections show that the EU-15 is well on track to
meet this target.
In 2007 EU leaders endorsed an integrated approach to climate and energy policy
and committed to transforming Europe into a highly energy-efficient, low carbon
economy. They made a unilateral commitment that Europe would cut its emissions
by at least 20% of 1990 levels by 2020. This commitment is being implemented
through a package of binding legislation.
The EU has also offered to increase its emissions reduction to 30% by 2020, on
condition that other major emitting countries in the developed and developing worlds
commit to do their fair share under a future global climate agreement. This
agreement should take effect at the start of 2013 when the Kyoto Protocol's first
commitment period will have expired.
The Copenhagen Accord reached in December 2009 represents a step towards such
an agreement. The EU is pressing for a global deal that is ambitious, comprehensive
and legally binding.

Causes of Climate Change

The causes of climate change can be divided into two categories, human and natural
causes.
It is now a global concern that the climatic changes occurring today have been
speeded up because of man's activities.

The natural variability and the climate fluctuations of the climate system have always
been part of the Earth’s history however there have been changes in concentrations
of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere growing at an unprecedented rate and
magnitude. The United Nations, governments and many top scientists around the
world believe that we must act now to stabilise and arrest further changes.

What Causes Climate Change in detail

Natural Causes of Climate Change

The earth’s climate is influenced and changed through natural causes like volcanic
eruptions, ocean current, the earth’s orbital changes and solar variations.

Volcanic eruptions - When a volcano erupts it throws out large volumes of sulphur
dioxide (SO2), water vapour, dust, and ash into the atmosphere. Large volumes of
gases and ash can influence climatic patterns for years by increasing planetary
reflectivity causing atmospheric cooling. Tiny particles called aerosols are produced
by volcanoes. Because they reflect solar energy back into space they have a cooling
effect on the world. The greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide is also produced however
the CO2 produced is insignificant when compared to emissions created by humans.
(see also featured article - Do Volcanoes cause climate change)

Ocean current - The oceans are a major component of the climate system. Ocean
currents move vast amounts of heat across the planet. Winds push horizontally
against the sea surface and drive ocean current patterns. Interactions between the
ocean and atmosphere can also produce phenomena such as El Niño which occur
every 2 to 6 years. Deep ocean circulation of cold water from the poles towards the
equator and movement of warm water from the equator back towards the poles.
Without this movement the poles would be colder and the equator warmer. The
oceans play an important role in determining the atmospheric concentration of CO2.
Changes in ocean circulation may affect the climate through the movement of CO2
into or out of the atmosphere.

Earth orbital changes - The earth makes one full orbit around the sun each year. It
is tilted at an angle of 23.5° to the perpendicular plane of its orbital path. Changes in
the tilt of the earth can lead to small but climatically important changes in the
strength of the seasons, more tilt means warmer summers and colder winters; less
tilt means cooler summers and milder winters. Slow changes in the Earth’s orbit lead
to small but climatically important changes in the strength of the seasons over tens
of thousands of years. Climate feedbacks amplify these small changes, thereby
producing ice ages.

Solar variations - The Sun is the source of energy for the Earth’s climate system.
Although the Sun’s energy output appears constant from an everyday point of view,
small changes over an extended period of time can lead to climate changes. Some
scientists suspect that a portion of the warming in the first half of the 20th century
was due to an increase in the output of solar energy. As the sun is the fundamental
source of energy that is instrumental in our climate system it would be reasonable to
assume that changes in the sun's energy output would cause the climate to change.
Scientific studies demonstrate that solar variations have performed a role in past
climate changes. For instance a decrease in solar activity was thought to have
triggered the Little Ice Age between approximately 1650 and 1850, when Greenland
was largely cut off by ice from 1410 to the 1720s and glaciers advanced in the Alps.

Current global warming however cannot be explained by solar variations. Some

examples are evidenced such as since 1750, the average amount of energy coming
from the Sun either remained constant or increased slightly.
If global warming was caused by a more active sun, then scientists would expect to
see warmer temperatures in all layers of the atmosphere. They have only observed a
cooling in the upper atmosphere, a warming at the surface and in the lower parts of
the atmosphere. This is due to greenhouse gasses capturing heat in the lower
atmosphere. Also climate models that include solar irradiance changes cannot
reproduce last century's observed temperature trend without including a rise in
greenhouse gases.

Human Causes of Climate Change

"It has been demonstrated beyond reasonable doubt that the climate is changing due
to man-made greenhouse gases. We are already committed to future substantial
change over the next 30 years and change is likely to accelerate over the rest of the
21st century."

The Met Office, Hadley Centre, UK

"The Hadley Centre holds an unique position in the world of climate science. No other
single body has a comparable breadth of climate change science and modelling, or
has made the same contribution to global climate science and current knowledge."

Independent Review 2007

"There is strong evidence that the warming of the Earth over the last half-century has
been caused largely by human activity, such as the burning of fossil fuels and
changes in land use, including agriculture and deforestation."

The Royal Society 2010

The Industrial Revolution in the 19th century saw the large-scale use of fossil fuels for
industrial activities. Fossil fuels such as oil, coal and natural gas supply most of the
energy needed to run vehicles, generate electricity for industries and households.
The energy sector is responsible for about ¾ of the carbon dioxide emissions, 1/5 of
the methane emissions and a large quantity of nitrous oxide.

Carbon dioxide is undoubtedly, the most important greenhouse gas in the

atmosphere. Changes in land use pattern, deforestation, land clearing, agriculture,
and other activities have all led to a rise in the emission of carbon dioxide. Methane
is another important greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. It is released from animals
such as dairy cows, goats, pigs, buffaloes, camels, horses and sheep Methane is also
emitted during the process of oil drilling, coal mining, leaking gas pipelines, landfills
and waste dumps.

The certainty of global warming can be seen through some of the natural
phenomenon like the effect on crops and extreme weather conditions around the
world. It is especially clear in the dramatic change of the polar caps, i.e. the Arctic ice
cap is shrinking and the Antarctica ice shelf is melting.

Main Contributors and Causes of Climate Change

According to the UK Government the main contributors of man made causes of

climate change in the UK are:

* 4% of carbon emissions come from industrial processes

* 7% come from agriculture – for example methane emissions from livestock and
manure, and nitrous oxide emissions from chemical fertilisers

21% carbon emissions from transport

65% come from the use of fuel to generate energy (excluding transport)

About 40% of carbon emissions in the UK are the result of decisions taken directly by
individuals. The biggest sources of emissions for most people are likely to be:

* energy use in the home (the main use is heating)

* driving a car

* air travel

There other elements of people's homes that contribute to climate change indirectly.
Everything, from furniture to computers, from clothes to carpets, all use energy when
it is produced and transported – and this causes carbon emissions to be released.

Want to learn more on the causes of climate change? Then take a look at the video
below.

Agriculture as a Contributor to the Causes of Climate Change

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the three main causes
of the increase in greenhouse gases observed over the past 250 years have been
fossil fuels, land use, and agriculture.

Agriculture has been shown to produce significant effects on climate change,

primarily through the production and release of greenhouse gases such as carbon
dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide.

Another contributing cause of climate change is when agriculture alters the Earth's
land cover, which can change its ability to absorb or reflect heat and light. Land use
change such as deforestation and desertification, together with use of fossil fuels, are
the major anthropogenic sources of carbon dioxide.

Deforestation as a contributor to the Causes of Climate change

It is important, first to understand what a precious resource rainforests play in our

world. They form part of a delicate ecosystem that has taken millions of years to
evolve.

Rainforests every year help to absorb almost 20% of man made CO2 emissions
therefore deforestation can be classed as a major contributor to the causes of climate
change. Cutting down rainforests faster than they can be replaced has a devastating
effect on the carbon emission cycle producing an extra 17% of greenhouse gases.
Remember trees absorb CO2. More deforestation means more CO2 build up in the
atmosphere.

Deforestation by means of cutting down and burning these tropical rainforests

usually pave the way for agriculture and industry which often produce even more
CO2.

The causes of climate change continued

Increase in global temperatures - Inter-government Panel

The most recent assessment report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC) says that the earth’s average temperature has risen by 0.74 degrees
in the period from 1906 to 2005, and that the average temperature will continue to
rise.

The greenhouse effect is a natural mechanism that retains the heat emitted from the
earth’s surface. The earth’s average temperature is at the moment around 14
degrees celsius (57 degrees fahrenheit). If the natural greenhouse effect did not
exist, the average temperature would be around minus 19 degrees celsius (minus 2
degrees fahrenheit).

The greenhouse effect is caused by a range of different gases in the earth’s

atmosphere. Water vapour makes the most significant contribution to the
greenhouse effect, followed by CO2. The atmospheric content of greenhouse gases –
in particular CO2 – and the consequences for the climate are being discussed
because the content of these gases in the atmosphere has risen precipitously in a
period covering approximately the latest 250 years, and especially the last 50.

At present the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere is about 385 ppm (parts per
million). Before industrialization it was about 280 ppm. Analyses of air contained in
ice from the Antarctic ice cap show that there is far more CO2 in the air today than at
any time in the last 650,000 years.
The consequence is that the greenhouse effect is becoming stronger, and therefore
the earth is becoming warmer. How much warmer has, however, been a matter of
dispute. The most recent assessment report from the IPCC is from 2007. It concludes
that the earth’s average temperature has risen by 0.74 degrees in the period from
1906 to 2005. The warming is stronger over land areas than over the sea, and
accordingly it is strongest in the northern hemisphere. At the same time occurrences
of heat waves and violent downpours have also increased, the oceans have risen,
and the ice at the world’s poles and on its mountains has begun to melt. All of these
effects are predictable in the event of global warming.

The IPCC’s most recent assessment report concludes that the average temperature
will continue to rise, but that the extent and the duration of this rise, and the severity
of its consequences, depend on how quickly and how effectively emissions of
greenhouse gases can be restricted and, over time, reduced.

Shattering some of the Green myths that contribute to the causes of

Climate Change

Traditional nappies (diapers) are as bad as disposables, a study by the Environment

Agency found. While throwaway nappies make up 0.1 per cent of landfill waste, the
cloth variety are a waste of energy, clean water and detergent

Paper bags cause more global warming than plastic. They need much more space to
store so require extra energy to transport them from manufacturers to shops

Diesel trains in rural Britain are more polluting than 4x4 vehicles. Douglas Alexander,
when Transport Secretary, said: “If ten or fewer people travel in a Sprinter [train], it
would be less environmentally damaging to give them each a Land Rover Freelander
and tell them to drive”.

Burning wood for fuel is better for the environment than recycling it, the Department
for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs discovered.

Organic dairy cows are worse for the climate. They produce less milk so their
methane emissions per litre are higher.

Someone who installs a “green” light bulb undoes a year’s worth of energy saving by
buying two bags of imported vegetables, as so much carbon is wasted flying the food
to Britain.

Trees, regarded as shields against global warming because they absorb carbon, were
found by German scientists to be major producers of methane, a much more harmful
greenhouse gas.

Sources for Shattering some of the Green myths that contribute to the causes of
Climate Change: Defra; How to Live a Low-Carbon Life, by Chris Goodall; Absorbent
Hygiene Products Manufacturers Association; The Times; BBC

The Causes and Effects of Climate Change in Ethiopia

A recent report released by Oxfam International shows that small-scale farmers and
pastoralists in Ethiopia are likely to bear the brunt of the negative impacts of climate
change in the region, which will include increased poverty, water scarcity, and food
insecurity. Farmers, who form the majority of the Ethiopian population, continue to
cry foul over inconsistent weather.

While Ethiopia has always suffered from great climatic variability, including droughts
that have contributed to hunger and even famine in the past, the report details how
climate change is set to make the lives of the poorest even harder.

During the recent Earth Day celebrations, journalists came face to face with
disgruntled farmers who decried the negligence of the international community in
mitigating the effects of climate change. Many Ethiopian publications and notably
weblogs have highlighted grim stories of disillusioned farmers whose lives are at
stake, as a result of global warming. Farmers and pastoralists around the country
have shared with journalists the toll that climate change is having on their
communities, from ruined crops to dying cattle.

Existing Work and Knowledge regarding climate change indicates that:

• A lack of citizen understanding regarding the basics of climate science is an

almost universal finding worldwide even though knowledge has increased
over time. Especially notable is confusion between causes of climate change
and ozone depletion, and confusion between weather and climate.

Americans know far less about climate change than their counterparts in the
developed world

Accurate and complete understanding of information is not a pre-requisite for

concern.

Concern is widespread around the world, but it may also be inversely

correlated with the wealth and carbon footprint of a nation.

In some studies, more informed respondents reported less concern or sense of

responsibility towards climate change.

People stop paying attention to global climate change when they realize that
there is no easy solution for it. Many people judge as serious only those
problems for which they think action can be taken.

Taken from Background Paper to the 2010 World Development Report,

"Cognitive and Behavioural Challenges in Responding to Climate Change"
by
Kari Marie Norgaard

The Royal Society's 2010 Report looks at the science behind the causes of
Climate Change

The Royal Society acknowledges climate change and the causes continues to be a
area of immense scientific research and public debate. The implications of changes in
climate are significant to everyone now and for future generations. Humanity
depends on the balance of the world's ecosystems.

The Royal Society agrees that global warming has occurred over the past 50 years
and is largely caused by human activity. What causes climate change is highlighted
by human actions such as the the burning of fossil fuels and changes in land use,
including agriculture and deforestation.

The Royal Society state there is still some uncertainty on the size of future
temperature fluctuations and other aspects of climate change however the risks
associated with these changes are substantial.

The Royal Society's latest report aims to summarise current scientific evidence on
climate change and the causes of climate change. The report sets out where the
science is established, where there is a wide consensus but continuing debate. The
document does not tackle the impacts of climate change but the causes of climate
change are considered.

This document draws upon recent evidence and builds on the Fourth Assessment
Report of Working Group I of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC),
published in 2007, which is the most comprehensive source of climate science and its
uncertainties.

The current and future consequences of global change

Global climate change has already had observable effects on the

environment. Glaciers have shrunk, ice on rivers and lakes is breaking up earlier,
plant and animal ranges have shifted and trees are flowering sooner.

Effects that scientists had predicted in the past would result from global climate
change are now occuring: loss of sea ice, accelerated sea level rise and longer, more
intense heat waves.

Scientists have high confidence that global temperatures will continue to rise for
decades to come, largely due to greenhouse gasses produced by human activities.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which includes more than
1,300 scientists from the United States and other countries, forecasts a temperature
rise of 2.5 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit over the next century.

According to the IPCC, the extent of climate change effects on individual regions will
vary over time and with the ability of different societal and environmental systems to
mitigate or adapt to change.

The IPCC predicts that increases in global mean temperature of less than 1.8 to 5.4
degrees Fahrenheit (1 to 3 degrees Celsius) above 1990 levels will produce beneficial
impacts in some regions and harmful ones in others. Net annual costs will increase
over time as global temperatures increase.

"Taken as a whole," the IPCC states, "the range of published evidence indicates that
the net damage costs of climate change are likely to be significant and to increase
over time." 1

Below are some of the regional impacts of global change forecast by the IPCC:
 • North America: Decreasing snowpack in the western mountains; 5-20
percent increase in yields of rain-fed agriculture in some regions; increased
frequency, intensity and duration of heat waves in cities that currently
experience them.2

• Latin America: Gradual replacement of tropical forest by savannah in

eastern Amazonia; risk of significant biodiversity loss through species
extinction in many tropical areas; significant changes in water availability for
human consumption, agriculture and energy generation.3

• Europe: Increased risk of inland flash floods; more frequent coastal flooding
and increased erosion from storms and sea level rise; glacial retreat in
mountainous areas; reduced snow cover and winter tourism; extensive
species losses; reductions of crop productivity in southern Europe.4

• Africa: By 2020, between 75 and 250 million people are projected to be

exposed to increased water stress; yields from rain-fed agriculture could be
reduced by up to 50 percent in some regions by 2020; agricultural production,
including access to food, may be severely compromised.5

• Asia: Freshwater availability projected to decrease in Central, South, East and

Southeast Asia by the 2050s; coastal areas will be at risk due to increased
flooding; death rate from disease associated with floods and droughts
expected to rise in some regions.

Global Climate Change: Recent Impacts7

Likelihood that trend occurred

Phenomena
in late 20th century
Cold days, cold nights and frost less frequent Very likely
over land areas
More frequent hot days and nights Very likely
Heat waves more frequent over most land areas Likely
Increased incidence of extreme high sea level* Likely
Global area affected by drought has increased Likely in some regions
(since 1970s)
Increase in intense tropical cyclone activity in Likely in some regions
North Atlantic (since 1970)

* Excluding tsunamis, which are not due to climate change.

Global Climate Change: Future Trends8

Phenomena Likelihood of trend

Contraction of snow cover areas, increased thaw in permafrost Virtually certain
regions, decrease in sea ice extent
Increased frequency of hot extremes, heat waves and heavy Very likely to occur
precipitation
Increase in tropical cyclone intensity Likely to occur
Precipitation increases in high latitudes Very likely to occur
Precipitation decreases in subtropical land regions Very likely to occur
Decreased water resources in many semi-arid areas, including High confidence
western U.S. and Mediterranean basin
How can you control climate change?
Climate change is a global problem, and yet each one of us has the
power to make a difference. Even small changes in our daily
behaviour can help prevent greenhouse gas emissions without
affecting our quality of life. In fact, they can help save us money.
Taking the time to flip a simple switch or turn off your tap may seem insignificant,
but if everyone took the time to do it every day, the results would be considerable.
Review these tips for ways to incorporate energy-saving measures into your
everyday routine.

• Switch off the lights when you don't need them. Switching off 5 lights
in hallways and rooms in your house when you don't need them can save
around € 60 a year and avoid about 400kg of CO2 emissions per year.
• Use energy-saving light bulbs: just one can reduce your lighting costs by
up to € 60 and avoid 400kg of CO2 emissions over the lifetime of the bulb - and
they last up to 10 times longer than ordinary light bulbs. Energy-saving bulbs
are more expensive to buy, but cheaper over their life span.
Switching off 5 lights in hallways and rooms in your house when you
don't need them can save around € 60 a year and avoid about 400kg
of CO2 emissions per year.
• Do not leave appliances on standby- use the "on/off" function on the
machine itself. A TV set that's switched on for 3 hours a day (the average time
Europeans spend watching TV) and in standby mode during the remaining 21
hours uses about 40% of its energy in standby mode.
• Unplug your mobile charger when you're not using it. Even when it is
not connected to the phone, it is still draining electricity. There are estimates
 that 95% of the energy is wasted when you leave the charger plugged in all the
time.
• Keep cool with a fan. Air conditioners are real energy gobblers - an
average room air conditioner operates at 1000 Watt, causing around 650gr of
CO2 emissions per hour and costing around € 0.10 during this hour. Fans might
be an alternative, otherwise use air conditioners sparingly and look for the
most energy-efficient model.
• Switch to green electricity. By doing so, you'll help strengthen renewable
energy sources. Currently, only 14% of Europe's electricity is generated from
climate-friendly renewable energy sources such as wind, hydro, wood, biogas,
and solar - and demand creates supply! You may also want to think about
fitting solar panels on the roof of your home.

Recycle
With more European governments driving recycling initiatives, it is becoming easier
for everyone to recycle. Learn new and easy ways to dispose of waste as well as
how to choose products and packaging that have less of an impact on the
environment.

• Bring used glass to the bottle bank and sort paper and cardboard,
plastics and cans from the rest of your waste. Recycling one aluminium can
saves 90% of the energy needed to produce a new one - 9kg of CO2emissions
per kilogramme of aluminium! For 1kg of recycled plastics, the saving is 1.5kg
of CO2; for 1kg of recycled glass, it is 300gr of CO 2; and recycling 1kg of paper
instead of landfilling it avoids 900gr of CO2emissions as well as methane
emissions.
• Reduce waste. Most products we buy cause greenhouse gas emissions in
one or another way, e.g. during production and distribution. By taking your
lunch in a reusable lunch box instead of a disposable one, you save the energy
needed to produce new lunch boxes.
• Reuse your shopping bag. When shopping, it saves energy and waste to
use a reusable bag instead of accepting a disposable one in each shop. Waste
not only discharges CO2 and methane into the atmosphere, it can also pollute
the air, groundwater and soil.
One bottle of 1.5l requires less energy and produces less waste than three
bottles of 0.5l.

• Choose products that come with little packaging and buy refills when
you can - you will also cut down on waste production and energy use!
• Buy intelligently: one bottle of 1.5l requires less energy and produces less
waste than three bottles of 0.5l.
• Recycle your organic waste. Landfills account for around 3% of the EU's
greenhouse gas emissions through the methane released by decomposing bio-
degradable waste. By recycling organic waste or composting it if you have a
garden, you can help eliminate this problem! Just make sure that you compost
it properly, so it decomposes with sufficient oxygen, otherwise your compost
will cause methane emissions and smell foul.
• Print less!
At the office, encourage your colleagues to re-use the other side of paper and
print less by archiving their emails and attachments. You can also try and
create paperless habits. Some studies show that office paper consumption is
rising by 20 % per year and web-based technology is actually increasing the
printing of documents. On average each worker uses about 50 sheets of A4 per
day. Must you print?
Conclusion
To avoid the worst predicted impacts of climate change,
institutions and individuals must act now. In terms of planning
both adaptation measures to respond to the predicted impacts of
climate change and mitigation measures to avoid rapid increases in
global emissions, nowhere in the world are coordinated responses
as critical as in Asia and the Pacific. Actions must be decisive and
informed to transform greenhouse gas intensive business-asusual
practices. ADB’s Strategy 2020 (ADB 2008) recognizes the
urgent need for significant progress on energy efficiency and other
measures to address climate change across developing Asia and
the Pacific in order to produce positive results reaching far beyond
regional borders and the present generation. As such, ADB will
work more aggressively than ever with governments, the private
sector, and civil society to move towards low-carbon, climateresilient
economies.
Existing scientific, technical, and economic analysis inform areas
for priority investment, and ADB will respond by concentrating
support to DMCs to increase energy efficiency, develop sustainable
transport systems, and improve land use management to reduce
emissions. ADB will continue to provide significant support to
DMCs to leverage carbon finance and develop CDM projects that
reduce emissions, help transfer technology, and increase energy
security.
Funding and cooperation to support adaptation and risk
management efforts in Asia and the Pacific will need to
dramatically increase to meet the needs of DMCs. ADB will expand
both technical and financial resources to address adaptation,
focusing on climate-proofing existing and planned investments,
and sectorwide support to water and agriculture. ADB will partner
with leading organizations to ensure that the social dimensions
of climate change—including health, gender, and migration—are
adequately addressed as part of our DMCs’ responses.
Within the next decade, climate change
considerations will be incorporated into all
development planning. Investment in low-carbon
growth strategies may be given strong signals by
the agreements reached at the 15th United Nations
Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in
December 2009, or at subsequent conferences.
Resilience measures will soon be build into
national development plans using sophisticated
tools under development to estimate the risks and
corresponding incremental costs that must be
considered as a result of climate change. However,
there is no time to wait: climate change is real
and is affecting ADB DMCs, threatening to undo
hard-won development gains. In the short term,
ADB will continue to actively engage with partners
and rapidly increase its support for core sustainable
infrastructure and climate change adaptation
activities, using its technical and financial resources
to transform and protect economies in Asia and the
Pacific.