This chapter from Working Group II of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for the Fourth Assessment Report concentrates on the consequences of climate change in Asia.

Crop yields have already been affected in Asia, says the report, due to rising temperatures and extreme weather events. Climate related diseases are also on the increase and the retreat of glaciers and permafrost — including the Himalayas — has been unprecedented.

The report provides comprehensive country-specific details about socioeconomic environments, along with observed and projected trends in climate variability, and a case study on the Himalayan glaciers.

Basing their projections on differing severities of climate change models, the report suggests that accelerated glacier melt will cause flooding, destabilisation of mountain slopes and reduced river flow, decreasing the amount of drinking water available downstream.

Biodiversity will also be threatened as changes in land use, migration and population pressure cause deforestation.

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