MANILA, Sept. 10 (Xinhuanet) -- Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Tadao Chino Wednesday called for more efforts by the international community to reduce many threats posed by global warming so as to secure sustainable development.

　　Chino told a regional forum here that a number of innovative initiatives and approaches have been made in recent years to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on a global scale.

　　"We need to build upon this momentum in order to address both the causes and the effects of global warming," he said at the opening session of the three-day Southeast Asia Forum on Greenhouse Gas Mitigation, Market Mechanisms and Sustainable Development.

　　Some 300 representatives from government, the private and nongovernmental organizations in the region as well as from members of the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development are attending the forum, co-hosted by the ADB and the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

　　"Climate change is a serious global challenge," said Chino. "The industrial and agricultural development of the past several decades has contributed to the emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases on a scale that is changing the delicate ofour climate system."

　　Developing countries will definitely bear the brunt of the adverse impacts of global climate change, and the poor will sufferthe most, he said.

　　Rising temperatures resulting from the increasing levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere contribute to rising sea levels,which can inundate low-lying islands and coastline and directly impact poor communities, according to the ADB president.

　　Higher temperatures are also expected to intensify storms and droughts which, in turn, can have severe impacts on the health andlivelihood of the poor around the world, he added.

　　Chino said the ADB has been working with many of its developingmember countries to strengthen their capacities in the area of greenhouse gas abatement, such as helping them prepare least-cost plans and identifying approaches for promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy. Enditem