Extreme weather events and choking air pollution have made cities in developing Asia less liveable this year, according to the annual global liveability index by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) that assesses the living conditions of the world’s major urban environments. For example, New Delhi, India’s capital, registered the biggest decline in liveability in Asia. It has been suggested that this is due to extreme heat waves, which have become more intense in the past decade as temperatures in New Delhi soar to a record 48 degrees Celsius, and the city of more than 20 million people being struck by a water crisis. A lack of a “concerted global effort” to tackle climate change risks will continue to drive overall ratings downward, said Agathe Demarais, global forecasting director, EIU. Singapore fell three places to 40th spot out of 140 while Hong Kong’s ranking was pulled down from 35th to 38th place, however neither cities overall ratings have changed a lot from last year.

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