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Pacific faces big economic losses from climate change

SYDNEY (Nov 26, 2013) — The Pacific region faces serious economic losses due to climate change and it is critical that nations causing the problem step in to help, the Asian Development Bank said Tuesday.A new report by the bank released in Sydney, \Economics of Climate Change in the Pacific\, showed that losses would range between 2.9% and 15.2% of annual gross domestic product by 2100.The Pacific contains some of the smallest nations on Earth and there are growing fears that global warming and rising seas threaten their very existence, with some of them atolls barely a metre (three feet) above sea level.The report assessed the potential impacts of climate change on agriculture, fisheries, tourism, coral reefs, and human health, with the ADB's Pacific director general Xianbin Yao warning of dire consequences.\It is critical that countries contributing to the problem of climate change step up to assist Pacific friends and neighbours in the fight to protect their countries against natural disasters