November 25, 2008 it was reported that geography coupled with high levels of poverty and population density has rendered South Asia especially vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Speaking ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Poznan, Poland on December 1-12, 2008, Richard Damania, World Bank Lead Environmental Economist for the South Asia Region said the region faces daunting climate-related development challenges.
"The impacts of climate change in the form of higher temperatures, more variable precipitation, and more extreme weather events are already felt in South Asia" said Damania. "It has been projected that these will intensify."