Socio-Economic Impacts of Climate Change on South Asian Nations

Abstract

Climate change is an issue hovering as a major roadblock to global development. It is a topic that worries the developed, the developing and the underdeveloped countries equally. While it is said that climate change is the result of the development process initiated by the developed countries during the industrial revolution, its outcomes shall be faced by every part of the world. Defined as a change in the average temperature of the earth, climate change is the most discussed issue of the 21 st century. Climate change is known to occur over a period of time and may range over years, decades or even centuries. It may be limited to a specific region or cover a span of region(s) and has direct potential impact on economies at the global level and civilizations. Numerous scientific and policy-focused studies were started to investigate the potential effects of climate change as well as potential human responses to it as evidence for the theory that rising greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere would cause climate change accumulated over the past few years. Indeed, in the context of South Asia, climate change is not only the biggest environmental threat faced by the region but also the likely cause of extraordinary social and economic problems in the course of this century. The paper has attempted to assess the Socio-economic impacts of climate change on South Asian nations which includes the impact on health, growth, and development. Additionally, the paper discusses the adaption and mitigation practices and strategies adopted by South Asian nations and in the end, it has put stress on following long-term efforts and policies to mitigate the adverse impact of climate change.