A new Climate Change Risk report has named Somalia, Haiti, Afghanistan and Sierra Leone the most vulnerable places to climate change.
Norway, Finland, Japan, Canada and New Zealand were named the countries best placed to weather the effects of climate change, while Africa hosts 22 of 28 countries at extreme risk.
The Climate Change Vulnerability Index (CCVI) is part of Maplecroft’s new Climate Change Risk Report 2009/10. Maplecroft (the leading source of global risks intelligence) rated 166 countries on their capacity to mitigate risks to society and the business environment posed by the changing patterns in natural hazards such as droughts, flooding, storms and sea level rises and the resulting effects on ecosystems.
The index measures how vulnerable a country is now and how well prepared it is to combat the impacts of climate change.
Norway, (166), is the lowest ranked country and best equipped to address the challenges of climate change. Contributing factors to its ranking are its low population density, excellent health-care and communications systems, good governance and a strong institutional framework. Additionally, Norway’s overall food, water and energy security are high and its ecosystems are well protected. The countries least at risk after Norway are Finland (165), Japan (164), Canada (163) and New Zealand (162). Other low risk countries include UK (155), USA (152) and Germany (151).
Japan’s ranking relates to its institutional stability, strong economy and high net primary productivity. However, 10% of Japan’s population live in Tokyo (5,847 people per km2 in 2007) and as Japan’s population increases, so too will the stress on surrounding natural resources and the land, making it vitally important that Japan addresses its climate change vulnerabilities.
Poorer nations, particularly those located in Sub-Saharan and West Africa, with few natural resources and limited infrastructures considered particularly vulnerable by the CCVI. Somalia (1), Haiti (2), Afghanistan (3), Sierra Leone (4) and Burundi (5) are rated most at risk, while other extreme risk countries include Nepal (11), Bangladesh (12), Sri Lanka (25) and Cambodia (27).
India (56) is the only emerging economy to be rated as high risk. This is due to high population density, increased security risk, poor resource security and concerns about human rights violations. India's vulnerability is of particular concern to business because of its huge role in global supply chains. Other countries of concern include Pakistan (29), Philippines (44) and Indonesia (61), which all rated high risk, whilst Brazil (103) and China (110) are categorized as medium risk, with Russia (127) rated as low risk.
The index is designed to enable governments, international organisations and the private sector to identify increased financial and societal risks arising from vulnerability to climate change. The CCVI is accompanied by an interactive GIS (Geographical Information System) map, which pinpoints climate change vulnerability at sub-national and site specific levels by breaking down each country into 25km” cells. Users can locate not only countries of high risk but regions, towns and industrial sites, allowing governments and business to develop mitigation strategies against the potential impacts of climate change.
“The interrelated nature of global risks mean that ineffective adaptation to climate change will make the world more vulnerable to other risks such as energy, food and water security, infectious diseases like malaria, displacement, political instability and even conflict,” said Professor Alyson Warhurst, of Warwick Business School and founding director of Maplecroft.
“In combination, these risks reinforce one another and threaten to undermine global development and economic growth. Governments and non-governmental organisations increasingly view business as a key player in preventing the impacts of climate change. Business needs to reduce the impacts of climate change throughout global value chains and by doing so make a positive contribute to the defining challenge of the 21st century.”
This Article originally appeared here on the Responsible travel news blog.
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