ADB tells Asia to address climate change impact on food, water

Experts on climate change have warned that severe weather events and changing rainfall patterns can worsen current chronic shortages in water and food supplies across Asia. They issued the warning at a seminar that took place at the 44th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) held in Hanoi, Vietnam, the bank said in a statement Tuesday. The panelists said the demand for water in Asia will exceed supply by 40 percent by the year 2030. They also urged Asian countries to implement better management of floods and droughts. “If we do not fully grasp the inter-related issues of water, food, and climate change and address them head on, we may lose the hard-won gains in our fight against poverty," said Ursula Schaefer-Preuss, ADB’s vice president for Knowledge Management and Sustainable Development. — With Earl Rosero/VS, GMA News