Bangkok, 13 mar ( EFE).-more than 42 million people were displaced from their homes by climate disasters that struck the region of Asia and the Pacific over the past two years, said today the Asian Bank of development (ADB) during a meeting in Bangkok.
countries in Asia and the Pacific are in the global area more prone to suffer from natural disasters, both in number of disasters and affected population with greater impact,”highlights a report by the financial institution presented during the Forum Asia-Pacific for adaptation to climate change.
Bangladesh and India are the countries who lead the list of the most vulnerable to the problems of climate change, where Nepal, Philippines, Afghanistan or Burma (Myanmar) are cataloged with high-risk, indicates the document of the BAD.
“The environment is becoming the driving force behind the migration in Asia and the Pacific”, explained the Vice-President of this Asian Bank, Bindu Lohani, to refer to the large number of people forced to flee their homes.
Experts from international agencies identified the chabolismo as the main factor of the large number of victims and displaced persons caused by natural disasters in Asia and which demonstrate the poor condition of the infrastructure.
“Governments should not wait to act.” “Must act now to reduce vulnerability, strengthening resilience and use immigration as a tool for adaptation, rather than make it an act of desperation”, said Lohani.
The study, entitled “Tackling climate change and migration in Asia and the Pacific”, is pressing to encourage the construction of new infrastructure and basic urban services to accommodate the anticipated increase in migratory flows in mega-cities of the region.
According to the estimates of the Asian institution, will need an annual expenditure at 40 billion dollars (30,500 million euros) as a whole until the year 2050 to address the problems of climate change in Asia and the Pacific.
Others in the future to treat problems will be the change in the migratory flow will increase where the cross-border movement at the expense of the movements of people within the borders of a single country.
Thereon, the BAD requests to identify the needs of protection of migrants to provide equitable access to education, health, water and sanitation, as well as greater cooperation between Governments in this matter.
In 2010, nearly 32 million people were displaced by environmental disasters and the following year there were 10 million cases, according to the ADB report. EFE
