DHAKA, Bangladesh: August 25, 2008. Melting Himalayan glaciers, rising sea levels and depleting fresh water sources as a result of global climate change are posing grave threats to food production and economic development in the populous South Asia region, experts said Monday.Dozens of scientists and policy makers from 18 countries and international agencies gathered Monday at the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, for the start of a six-day conference to discuss ways to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change on food security in South Asia.
South Asia is home to a fifth of the world's population, and 40 percent of its poor.
The region — which includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Maldives — is prone to incessant monsoon rains, drought, heat waves, frost freezes, desertification and salinization, all of which experts attribute to climate change. More->>>
