Report: Climate change to up migration in Asia

MANILA, Philippines—The Indian Ocean island nation of the Maldives is urging governments to act against global warming, saying low-lying island nations are already suffering from rising sea levels.

Maldives Environment Minister Mohamed Aslam told an Asian Development Bank conference on climate-induced migration Thursday that entire island populations in his archipelago have had to relocate over the last two decades because life has become unsustainable.

An ADB-funded report says environmental disruptions will increase forced migration in Asia and the Pacific, the region expected to be most severely affected by climate change. The report calls on governments to boost vulnerable communities’ resilience.