Asia: The Gathering Storm - The Human Cost of Climate Change (Films)

IRIN Films, a project of the United Nations (UN) Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in association with the UN Environment Programme, offers an online ongoing series of films on the human cost of climate change in Asia.

For example, two films look at the severe problems Bangladesh faces as a consequence of storms: cyclones and floods. "The ancient practice of floating gardens - beds of straw and water hyacinths on which crops are grown - is making a comeback in the face of increased floods. But in the south of the country, islands are literally being washed away by tidal surges and storms."

Earlier chapters in the film series highlight: "the threat to Vietnam's coastal mangrove forests; the dwindling fish stocks of Southeast Asia's largest freshwater lake; and the innovative introduction of floating schools to flood-prone Bangladesh." Also included are films on: a Sherpa village high up in the Nepal Himalayas where villagers are struggling to find fresh supplies of water now that glaciers have melted; farmers in the south of Nepal who have been forced to turn their back on rice production in favour of bananas; and an army of Buddhist monks replanting forests in Cambodia. The series of short videos aims to tell some of the stories of how climate change is affecting communities throughout Asia.