Dhaka most at-risk in Asia climate-threat study

SINGAPORE: Dhaka, Manila and Jakarta are among the major cities in Asia most vulnerable to rising seas, storms and other climate change impacts, underscoring the threat to lives and economies, a report said yesterday.

Conservation group WWF studied the "brutal" threats facing 11 major cities in Asia, all located along coasts or river deltas, and assigned them a score from 1 to 10 based on how exposed they were to climate change, ability to adapt and impact on livelihoods.

The cities, which also include Kolkata, Phnom Penh, Ho Chi Minh City, Shanghai, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, have a combined population of about 120 million and are expected to keep growing, compounding the climate risks they face, says the report, Mega-Stress for Mega-Cities.