In its first-ever comprehensive report on the state of Asia’s environment, the Asian Development Bank found that environmental destruction is pervasive and growing in the region and that Asia’s governments must act quickly to stop it. S. Tahir Qadri, a senior environmental specialist at the bank, said, “The situation is as bad as it can be.” Asia is home to 12 of the worst 15 cities in the world in terms of air pollution, and only one in three Asians has easy access to safe drinking water, according to the report. The levels of human waste in the Asian rivers are three times the world average and 50 times higher than the World Health Organization’s recommended max.
