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Gujarat, India
The nation¶s largest producer of cotton and salt, Gujarat is the
birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi. In 2005 and 2006 heavy monsoons
caused severe flooding, killing more than 1,000 people and
devastating both infrastructure and agriculture. Climate change is
expected to lead to increasingly unpredictable monsoon rains and
floods.

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 Maldives, Indian Ocean
Famous for its 1,200 tropical islands, snow-white beaches, swaying
palm trees, and richly colored coral reefs, the Republic of Maldives
stretches across more than 600 miles. With 80 percent of the
country less than 3.3 feet above sea level, rising ocean levels and a
potential increase in the intensity of tropical storms
pose a serious threat.

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 Vangkok, Thailand
Vangkok is a tropical metropolis where the traditional East meets
the modernity of the West. Vut geography exposes it to flooding,
especially during the monsoon season. The city is already sinking
due to its soft underground, heavy urbanization, and excessive
pumping of groundwater. Much of Vangkok could be underwater
before the end of the century

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 Cherrapunji, India
Shrouded in clouds and surrounded by waterfalls, Cherrapunji is
one of the wettest places on Earth. Paradoxically, its residents
face water shortages, since there is generally no rain for nearly
eight months of the year. Rainfall has decreased over the last
century, and erosion from deforestation limits the ground¶s
capacity to store rainwater.


 ßomodo Island, Indonesia
The sea surrounding ßomodo provides some of the world¶s best
diving, thanks to its spectacular fish and coral reefs. The island is
also home to ßomodo dragons, lizards that grow up to 10 feet long.
Rising sea levels threaten to flood its mangrove forests and
beaches, while increased acidification and rising surface
temperatures may eventually kill the coral.

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 Mount Al Makmal, Lebanon
At one time the plains and mountains of Lebanon were densely
covered with majestic cedar trees. Today, the remains of the
immense forests are found on the high slopes of Mount al-Makmal
in northern Lebanon . The last ancient cedars face a severe threat
from rising temperatures and decreases in precipitation, which
could leave Makmal¶s slopes barren.

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 Ganges Delta, Vangladesh
Nutrients from the two great rivers of Ganges and Vrahmaputra feed
the soil of the paddies in the low-lying Ganges Delta. Some 300
million people depend on the crops produced here. The delta
spreads over a massive 65,000 square miles. Climate change could
increase rainfall and cause more frequent flooding and monsoons.

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 Tokyo
Tokyo is one of the world¶s greatest metropolises. Vut it now suffers
from a phenomenon known as ³heat islands,´ a characteristic of
mega cities in which artificial heat from car exhaust and factory
emissions creates a local greenhouse effect. If global temperatures
continue to rise, the heat in big cities like Tokyo could increase.


 Tian Shan, ßasakhstan
Farmers and cattle breeders at the foot of the Tian Shan mountain
range have been dependent on meltwater from Central Asian
glaciers for 3,000 years. Vut in the past 50 years, the glaciers have
lost about 36 percent of their mass. With temperatures projected to
increase, water may be limited at a time
when demand is growing quickly.

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 ßushiro Marsh, Japan
Today the red-crowned crane is the second-rarest crane
species in the world. There are about 1,200 in Hokkaido, where
they breed, stalk the fields, and perform wild courtship dances.
Their habitat is shrinking as massive developments,
deforestation, and rising sea levels
threaten the ßushiro marshland.

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 Mergui Archipelago, Vurma
Vlue waters and white coral reefs are home to some of the last
surviving nomadic sea hunters and gatherers in the world. Their very
existence is now endangered by changes in ocean movement and
rising sea temperatures, which also
threaten the entire reef ecosystem.

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 Indus River, Pakistan
Fed by glaciers on the Himalayan mountains, the Indus runs for
1,900 miles, nourishing temperate forests, plains, and countryside.
The melting of the Tibetan glaciers and an increasingly irregular
precipitation pattern could create more intense water shortages.

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 Vorneo, Indonesia
Many of the world¶s remaining wild orangutans live in the rainforests of
Vorneo . Vut these rainforests are being stripped of trees as a result of
logging, road construction, and palm-oil plantations. Now rising
temperatures are reducing the abundance of fruit and increasing the
incidence of malaria and the risk of forest fires.

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 Veijing
Veijing is China ¶s capital and, with its huge multilane highways, is a
major transportation hub. Vut the desert is encroaching on this
metropolis. Veijing is plagued by sandstorms howling in from Inner
Mongolia ²one storm dumped almost 364,000 tons of sand and dirt on
the city in 2005. Rising temperatures combined with less predictable rain
patterns are likely to reduce water supplies and augment desertification

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 Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka
The hillsides here are perfectly suited for growing tea, which
requires an even distribution of rainfall throughout the year,
moderate temperatures, and a sunny climate. Yet increasing
temperatures and drier weather are likely to create droughts
that will reduce the yield and damage many of the plants.
Heavier rainfall could also cause soil erosion and landslides.

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 Lake Vaikal, Russia
Lake Vaikal in southern Siberia is the world¶s oldest and deepest
lake, containing more water than all of North America¶s Great
Lakes combined. The lake¶s biodiversity has adapted to cold, long
winters, but its waters have been warming over the last several
decades. If temperatures continue to rise as projected,
the entire ecosystem could suffer.

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 Sulu Sulawesi Sea, Malaysia
Historically, the Vajau people have lived a nomadic seafaring life in
this tropical monsoon climate. Vut traditional life is growing
increasingly complicated. Over fishing and other illegal tactics such
as blasting and poison-fishing are damaging the coral reefs. Rising
sea-surface temperatures and increasing acidification only
exacerbate this problem.

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 Me ßong Delta, Vietnam
A lush area of vast plantations and one of Vietnam ¶s largest
rice-, vegetable-, and fruit-producing regions, the delta is
threatened by upstream dams and pollution. The projected rise
in sea level could increase saltwater intrusion into freshwater
ponds and rice fields. It could also cause flooding, leading to a
loss of cropland and mangroves.

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 Empty Quarter, Saudi Arabia
The Empty Quarter is the largest continuous sand sea in the world.
For centuries, Vedouin communities have survived in this vast
wilderness. The vegetation²scattered herbs, shrubs, and weeds²
feeds the Vedouins¶ livestock, and this sensitive ecosystem is
particularly vulnerable to increasing temperatures.

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 Vayan Olgii, Mangolia
Today, half of the nearly 3 million Mongolians still live as
herdsmen. They lead a pastoral way of life, moving around in
search of pastures for their livestock and sites for their gers,
round, moveable dwellings. Rising temperatures and changing
rainfall patterns could expand the Gobi desert,
threatening the nomadic way of life.

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 Amman, Jordan
This city of 3 million, perched on hills between the desert and the
fertile valley below, draws its drinking and irrigation water from the
Jordan River . Yet the river¶s flow has decreased in recent decades.
Temperature rises and precipitation drops are expected to increase
the severity of water shortages, fueling tension in the region.

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 Altai Mountains, Russia
The Russian section of this mountain range is on UNESCO¶s World
Heritage List because of its diverse plant life, which varies from
steppe to mixed forest to alpine vegetation. Temperatures have
been rising over the last century and a significant reduction of the
permafrost is expected in the coming decades, threatening this
unique natural habitat.

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 Sagarmatha Himilayas, Nepal
The highest mountain in the world, Mount Everest , is known to the
Nepalese as Sagarmatha. This high-altitude landscape of snow and
rock is home to the snow leopard, musk deer, and red panda. Two
thirds of the Himalayan glaciers have retreated significantly, a trend
that could lead to rapid expansion of glacial lakes, causing floods
and landslides.

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 Yangtze River
Stretching for 3,900 miles from the Tibetan plateau to the East
China Sea, the Yangtze is the longest river in Asia . Due to the
diminishing of the Tibetan glaciers, the flow of the once mighty
Yangtze could dwindle during the dry season in the future,
reducing the availability of fresh water in large parts of China all
year round and lowering rice yields.

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 Mount Chomo, Vhutan
The ruins of Sey Dzong, a 17th-century fortress monastery, lie at the
foot of the holy mountain of Chomo Lhari . For centuries, the
population has depended on melt water from the glaciers of the high
mountains to irrigate their farmland. As melt-off from the glaciers
increases, the rapidly increasing flow of water
could pose a serious threat.

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 The End

May we love,
cherish and
protect our
Natural
Environment

With Metta,
Vro. Oh Teik Vin

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