The IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report What’s in it for South Asia?

The document outlines the observed and projected climate impacts in South Asia, emphasizing the region's vulnerability to flooding, heat-related mortality, and food insecurity. It argues that while further warming is inevitable, integrated adaptation and low-carbon development can reduce risks and provide economic opportunities, provided there is strong international cooperation and financial support.

• South Asia has already experienced significant climate changes, including warming across most of the region during the 20th century and into the 2000s, with an increase in temperature extremes and heat wave frequency since the mid-20th century.
• Climate change is already impacting human health in South Asia, with associations between higher temperatures and rainfall and outbreaks of diseases such as dengue, Japanese encephalitis, and malaria in India and Nepal, as well as cholera in Bangladesh.
• Future temperature projections for South Asia under a high-emissions scenario indicate that average annual temperatures could rise by more than 2°C by the mid-21st century and exceed 3°C, potentially reaching over 6°C at high latitudes by the end of the century.
• Sea level rise poses significant risks to South Asia's coastal settlements and economies, with projected rises between 26cm and 98cm by 2100 depending on emissions, increasing the risk of storm surges for millions of people in India and Bangladesh.
• Climate change threatens food security in South Asia, where roughly 300 million people are undernourished; specifically, rice yields may decline in the northern part of the region, and wheat yields in the Indo-Gangetic plains could fall substantially without changes in crop varieties and management.
• Urban areas in South Asia are highly vulnerable, with port cities such as Kolkata, Mumbai, and Dhaka identified as being at the highest risk of coastal flooding in terms of population and assets by the 2070s.
• Adaptation in South Asia can be achieved through 'no regrets' or 'low regrets' measures that provide development benefits regardless of climate change, such as improving health services, diversifying cropping systems, and strengthening access to land and credit for marginalised groups.
• Low-carbon development offers South Asia opportunities to avoid 'lock-in' to fossil-fuel dependent infrastructure, with potential co-benefits such as reduced particulate pollution from decarbonising electricity in India and improved health for women and girls through the use of improved cookstoves.
• International cooperation and financial support are essential for South Asia to limit warming to 2°C and build resilience, particularly for low-income countries like Nepal that have contributed little to global emissions.

APA

Climate and Development Knowledge Network (2014). The IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report What’s in it for South Asia? https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/CDKN-IPCC-Whats-in-it-for-South-Asia-AR5.pdf

Chicago

Climate and Development Knowledge Network. The IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report What’s in it for South Asia? 2014. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/CDKN-IPCC-Whats-in-it-for-South-Asia-AR5.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |title=The IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report What’s in it for South Asia? |date=2014 |url=https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/CDKN-IPCC-Whats-in-it-for-South-Asia-AR5.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climateanddevelopmentknowledgenetwork2014ipccs, author = {{Climate and Development Knowledge Network}}, title = {{The IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report What’s in it for South Asia?}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2014}, url = {https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/CDKN-IPCC-Whats-in-it-for-South-Asia-AR5.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }