Post by Jaga on Jun 6, 2009 21:34:14 GMT -7
June 2 (Bloomberg) -- The climate in Poland and Hungary may become more like that of Spain and Sicily by mid-century as global warming takes hold, the World Bank said.
The two eastern European countries are likely to experience 37 “hot” days a year by 2050, or in excess of 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit), up from 22 at the end of last century, the Washington-based bank said today.
The report, examining the need for eastern European and central Asian nations to adapt to climate change, was presented at United Nations climate treaty talks in Bonn.
“We’re really talking about adapting to a very different climate,” said Marianne Fay, the report’s author. “Even countries that stand to benefit are poorly positioned to do so today. There’s sensitivity due to environmental mismanagement.”
The report aims to balance a belief in Russia, the Ukraine and other countries that they stand solely to benefit from warmer temperatures, Fay said. In fact, thawing permafrost will damage infrastructure, melting glaciers may reduce water supply and more intense rainfall will increase flooding, she said.
The study found that when a country’s adaptive capacity and sensitivity to climate change are taken into account, Tajikistan is most at risk of the East bloc nations, followed by Albania and Kyrgyzstan. Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Estonia were least at risk. The researchers didn’t estimate how much it will cost the countries to adapt to warming.
www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601124&sid=amz_Fi.P1nuc
The two eastern European countries are likely to experience 37 “hot” days a year by 2050, or in excess of 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit), up from 22 at the end of last century, the Washington-based bank said today.
The report, examining the need for eastern European and central Asian nations to adapt to climate change, was presented at United Nations climate treaty talks in Bonn.
“We’re really talking about adapting to a very different climate,” said Marianne Fay, the report’s author. “Even countries that stand to benefit are poorly positioned to do so today. There’s sensitivity due to environmental mismanagement.”
The report aims to balance a belief in Russia, the Ukraine and other countries that they stand solely to benefit from warmer temperatures, Fay said. In fact, thawing permafrost will damage infrastructure, melting glaciers may reduce water supply and more intense rainfall will increase flooding, she said.
The study found that when a country’s adaptive capacity and sensitivity to climate change are taken into account, Tajikistan is most at risk of the East bloc nations, followed by Albania and Kyrgyzstan. Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Estonia were least at risk. The researchers didn’t estimate how much it will cost the countries to adapt to warming.
www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601124&sid=amz_Fi.P1nuc
