ADB to help Southeast Asia find ways to cut greenhouse gases

Yahoo News 11 Jan 08;

The Asian Development Bank said Friday it will conduct a yearlong study on what six Southeast Asian countries can do to cut their greenhouse gas emissions.

The 900,000 dollar study, funded by Britain, will estimate the costs of reducing the emissions and look at ways Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam can work together to mitigate the impact of climate change, the Manila-based bank said in a statement.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that Asia's booming economies will raise the continent's contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions to 29 percent by 2030 from 24 percent in 2003, an ADB statement said.

The panel has also forecast that coastal and low-lying areas in South, East, and Southeast Asia will be at greatest risk due to increased flooding from sea and rivers.