[Ngo Climate Change] REPORT: USAID Mekong ARCC's Analysis of Economic Values at Risk on Climate Change in the Lower Mekong Basin

[Saowalak_Jingjungvisut at dai.com]

Dear Colleagues,
The USAID Mekong Adaptation and Resilience to Climate Change (USAID Mekong 
ARCC)  project announces the release of an economic research report 
entitled, "Climate Change in the Lower Mekong Basin: An Analysis of 
Economic Values at Risk." The report assesses the current-day values of 
key assets at risk to climate change in the Lower Mekong Basin (LMB) 
countries of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam to present a preliminary 
picture of the potential economic toll of anticipated alternations in 
climate on the region. 
A 2013 USAID Mekong ARCC analysis of climate change impacts and 
vulnerabilities in the LMB found that by 2050 annual precipitation is 
expected to increase throughout the basin, predominantly during the wet 
rainy season, while the dry season is expected to become drier and last 
longer in many areas of the LMB. Based on this scientific assessment, 
analysts from the think-tank World Resources Institute were engaged by the 
USAID Mekong ARCC project to examine the economic impacts of climate 
change on key livelihood sectors in the region--such as agriculture, 
fisheries, and rural infrastructure. 

Key findings from the report:

The economic impacts of climate change in the LMB are expected to be 
wide-ranging, significant and mostly negative. Of most concern are 
significant reductions in the yield of crops, fish and non-timber forest 
products critical for livelihoods of over 60 million people, damages 
associated with floods and sea level rise, and an increase in the 
incidence and severity of heat-related illnesses for workers.
Based on current values, impacts from climate change could cost the 
economies of Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Vietnam approximately $34 
billion per year. This includes at least $16 billion per year in damages 
to natural resource assets and infrastructure services (which represents 
between 7 and 30 percent of rural GDP in the LMB), and an additional $18 
billion of potential infrastructure damage or loss from flooding and other 
extreme weather events.
Worker productivity across the LMB is significantly threatened by climate 
change, accounting for more than $8 billion at risk annually in lost work 
days resulting from heat-induced illness. High temperatures, already 
affecting open-air workers such as farmers and construction workers, will 
likely increase as a result of climate change, causing spikes in cases of 
heat stress and other heat-related illnesses in the dry seasons.
Built infrastructure services ($3.42 billion), crop production ($2.54 
billion), ecosystem services ($1.24 billion) and hydroelectric power 
(US$430m) are also at risk from climate change impacts.
Eleven hydro-electric power facilities at risk in the LMB were identified 
by overlaying the location of facilities with the USAID Mekong ARCC’s 
modeled spatial data showing locations of projected increases in 
temperature and changes in agricultural drought months due to climate 
change.
The magnitude of values at risk in the LMB justify significant investments 
in adaptation measures for workplace heat assessments and protection 
measures; eco-resilient or ‘climate smart’ agriculture techniques to 
protect crops from heat stress, water logging and other anticipated 
impacts from significant changes projected in temperature and 
precipitation; and green infrastructure to prepare for the effects of 
increasingly large storms, flooding, rising sea levels, and structural 
stress caused by increasing temperatures. 

You can download the full Values at Risk report, a brief overview of 
Values at Risk report, and learn more of  more of the author’s perspective 
of the Values at Risk report findings from an exclusive Q&A blog. 
Further information, please feel free to contact us.
Kind regards,
 Saowalak 'Aey' Jingjungvisut
 KM & Communications Specialist | USAID Mekong ARCC Program | DAI 
(Thailand) Ltd. 
 
 T.  +66 (0) 2650-9919-21 ext. 55305  |  M.  +66 (0) 81 860 8656
 E.  saowalakj at dai.com  |  Skype id: aey.sj 
  
 USAID Mekong Adaptation and Resilience to Climate Change (USAID Mekong 
ARCC)
  http://mekongarcc.net |     MekongARCC 

______________________________________________________________________________

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