Figure 5.8: FIGURE 5.8 PHOTO ESSAY: Vulnerability to Climate Change in Russia and the Post-Soviet StatesMuch of the region has a medium level of vulnerability to climate change, but Central Asia has high and extreme levels of vulnerability. In Central Asia, vulnerability will increase as temperatures rise and glaciers in the Pamirs and other mountains melt. The dependence of so many Central Asians on agriculture makes them very sensitive to drought and water scarcity. Widespread poverty, combined with poorly developed disaster response systems, reduces the overall resilience to these and other disturbances.