Asian poverty threatens environment -- WCN, ADB

The Philippines-based Asian Development Bank and the World Conservation Union warned Wednesday that severe poverty threatened the environment over the next decade.

People living in severe poverty often engage in practices that tax the local ecosytems. In turn, the pressure on the environment ends up creating added problems for the poor.

"It is also the poor who have the most at stake when ecosystems degrade, as they suffer disproportionately from the health risks caused by inadequate or dirty water and polluted air, and bear the burden of collecting the resources for their daily use, such as water and fuel," the new book "Poverty, Health, and Ecosystems: Experience from Asia" said.


A Chinese couple sits in front of a windmill power generator at Feng Xian in Shanghai in this February 24, 2006 file photo. Nations in the region have been encouraged to take up 'carbon-neutral' energy programs. REUTERS/Nir Elias/Files photo via Yahoo News.