Asian Killer Floods Magnified By Damaged Ecosystems - Science News - redOrbit

Changes in climate may be a partial cause to the record rainfall that is wreaking havoc in Asia, but environmental experts say the destruction of ecosystems is more directly at fault for the severity of killer floods.

The devastating floods are becoming worse because of several factors, including deforestation, conversion of wetlands into farmlands and urban centers and the clogging of natural drainage systems, experts warn.
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Red Constantino, head of the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities in Manila, said climate change is becoming a convenient way for Asian leaders to place blame elsewhere when natural disasters strike.

“When there is any big flooding it's become commonplace for climate change to be blamed when in fact many of the problems are fixable at the local level,” said Constantino.