Nicknamed Venice of the East, Bangkok is a prime example of rapidly expanding cities in Asia’s coastal areas, which are especially threatened by climate change. The World Bank has joined with Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) to conduct the first comprehensive assessment of the impact of climate change on Bangkok, Thailand’s economic center, which contributes to more than 40 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The study "Climate Change Impact and Adaptation Study for Bangkok Metropolitan Region" is a result of that collaboration. The study concludes that, by 2050, the local mean temperature could rise by from 1.2°C to 1.9°C.Â
Moreover, mean precipitation will rise from 2 and 3 percent, raising the sea level in the Gulf of Thailand by anywhere from .19 to .29 meters. The likelihood of floods in Bangkok will increase, probably four-fold, by 2050 – just four decades away. This assessment should enable the local government to carefully consider actions to protect the city and its citizens from the coming changes.
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