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Turn Down the Heat: Climate Extremes, Regional Impacts, and the Case for Resilience



Report Highlights
  • This report, part II in a series, looks at likely impacts of 2°C and 4°C warming across three vulnerable regions.
  • It describes risks to agriculture and livelihoods in Sub-Saharan Africa, the rise in sea-level and devastation to coastal areas likely in South East Asia, and water extremes facing South Asia.
  • Turn Down the Heat warns that poor coastal urban communities are among the most vulnerable to climate change.

In the report Turn Down the Heat: Climate Extremes, Regional Impacts, and the Case for Resilience, launched in June 2013, scientists look at the likely impacts on three vulnerable regions if the world continues on its current trajectory and warms by 2 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial times by mid-century and continues to become 4°C warmer by 2100.  

The report looks across Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and South East Asia, revealing how rising global temperatures are increasingly threatening the health and livelihoods of their most vulnerable populations. It builds on the previous report in the series, Turn Down the Heat: Why a 4°C World Must Be Avoided, that concluded the world likely will warm by 4°C  by the end of the century.

The latest report in the series describes the risks to agriculture and food security in sub-Saharan Africa; rise in sea-level, bleaching of coral reefs, and devastation of coastal areas in South East Asia; and fluctuating rain patterns and food production impacts in South Asia. The report, prepared by the Potsdam Institute of Climate Research and Climate Analytics, synthesizes the current peer-reviewed literature and supplements it with computer modeling, finding that future impacts across the regions are potentially devastating. 

To learn more, click the links below.


Launch Event

Reuters Newsmaker: A Conversation with World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim (Transcript of the event)

Report

Turn Down the Heat: Climate Extremes, Regional Impacts, and the Case for Resilience (Also available on social reading channels: Issuu, Scribd, and Open Knowledge Repository)

Executive Summary in English, Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, and Spanish

President Jim Kim's Op-ed originally published in Washington Post:

Op-Ed: Ending Poverty Includes Tackling Climate Change - English, Spanish, French, Russian, Japanese, Chinese

Press Releases

Global Press Release: Warmer World Will Keep Millions of People Trapped in Poverty, Says New Report

World Bank Flash: Turn Down the Heat II: Climate Extremes, Regional Impacts, and the Case for Resilience:  

Regional Press Release (East Asia): Warmer World Threatens Livelihoods in South East Asia

Regional Press Release (South Asia): Warming Climate to Hit South Asia Hard with Extreme Heat, Floods & Disease

Country Press Release (Bangladesh): Warming Climate to Hit Bangladesh Hard with Sea Level Rise, More Floods and Cyclones

Country Press Release (India): Warming Climate in India to Pose Significant Risk to Agriculture, Water Resources, Health

Country Press Release (Maldives): Concerted Efforts Needed to Support Maldives Adapt to Climate Change, World Bank Report Findings Indicate

Country Press Release (Nepal): Warming Climate to Hit South Asia Hard with Extreme Heat, Floods & Disease

Country Press Release (Pakistan): Warming Climate to Hit South Asia Hard with Extreme Heat, Floods & Disease

Feature Stories:

What Climate Change Means for Africa, Asia and the Coastal Poor

New Report Finds India’s Food Security, Water Resources and Health at Risk From Warming Climate

Climate Resilience and Low-Carbon Growth Critical for Nigeria’s Economic Future

To the Brink: Climate Change Will Increase Frequency and Severity of Disasters, Stress Food and Energy Production in South Asia

Infographic

What Climate Change Means for Africa and Asia

Multimedia

Climate Change in Africa Will Hit the Poor the Hardest

World Bank: Warmer World Will Trap Millions in Poverty - Interview with President Jim Yong Kim

Regional Vice President for South Asia Discusses Climate Change Impacts on the Region

Blogs

We Must Confront Climate Change to End Poverty

New Climate Report Emphasizes Urgency

Why a 4-Degrees World Won't Cause Just One Water Crisis

Filipinos, How are You Adapting to Climate Change? You Ask, We Answer

Regional Summaries (pdf)

Arabic

Chinese

English

French

Russian

Spanish



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Based on the most current peer-reviewed literature and scientific modeling, the report looks at likely impacts of present day, 2°C, and 4°C warming across Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and South East Asia.


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