Although climate change is an inherently global issue, the impacts will not be felt equally across our planet. Regional changes are likely to differ from global averages in both magnitude and rates of change. Further, not all ecosystems and human settlements are equally sensitive to changes in climate. Nations (and regions within nations) vary in their relative vulnerability to changes in temperature, precipitation and extreme weather events and their ability to cope with such changes.
Many global issues are climate-related and thus may be affected by climate change. These include water resource availability and food security, especially for areas already afflicted by drought and extreme weather events. Sea-level rise is a particular concern for low-lying coasts and island nations.
Some nations will likely experience more adverse effects than others, while other nations may benefit. Poorer nations are generally more vulnerable to the consequences of global warming. These nations tend to be more dependent on climate-sensitive sectors, such as subsistence agriculture, and may lack the resources to buffer themselves against the changes that global warming may bring.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has examined a range of future climate change scenarios and found that the globally averaged surface air temperature is projected by models to warm 2 to 11.5°F (1.1-6.4°C) by 2100 relative to 1990, and globally averaged sea level is projected by models to rise 7.2 to 23.6 inches (18-59 cm or 0.18- 0.59m) by 2100. The warming would vary by region, and would be accompanied by changes in precipitation, changes in the variability of climate, and changes in the frequency and intensity of some extreme climate phenomena. (IPCC, 2007)
Asia
* Glacier melt in the Himalayas is projected to increase flooding, increase rock avalanches from destabilized slopes, and affect water resources within the next two to three decades.
* Freshwater availability in Central, South, East and Southeast Asia, particularly in large river basins, is projected to decrease due to climate change, which, along with population growth and increasing demand from higher standards of living, could adversely affect more than a billion people by the 2050s.
* Coastal areas, especially heavily populated megadelta regions in South, East and Southeast Asia, will be at greatest risk due to increased flooding from the sea and, in some megadeltas, flooding from rivers.
* Crop yields could increase up to 20 percent in East and Southeast Asia, while they could decrease up to 30 percent in Central and South Asia by the mid-21st century.
* Sickness and death due to diarrheal disease, primarily associated with floods and droughts, are expected to rise in East, South and Southeast Asia due to projected changes in the hydrological cycle associated with global warming.
Source: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/effects/international.html#summary
