Yahoo News 20 Oct 10;
PARIS (AFP) – South Asia is the world's most climate-vulnerable region, its fast-growing populations badly exposed to flood, drought, storms and sea-level rise, according to a survey of 170 nations published on Wednesday.
Of the 16 countries listed as being at "extreme" risk from climate change over the next 30 years, five are from South Asia, with Bangladesh and India in first and second places, Nepal in fourth, Afghanistan in eighth and Pakistan at 16th.
The Climate Change Vulnerability Index, compiled by a British-based global risks advisory firm, Maplecroft, is intended as a guide for strategic investment and policymaking.
The barometer is based on 42 social, economic and environmental factors, including the responsiveness of government, to assess the risk to population, ecosystems and business from climate change.
South Asia is especially vulnerable because of changes in weather patterns that result in natural disasters, including floods in Pakistan and Bangladesh this year that affected more than 20 million people, Maplecroft said.
"There is growing evidence climate change is increasing the intensity and frequency of climatic events," the firm's environmental analyst, Anna Moss, said.
"Very minor changes to temperature can have major impacts on the human environment, including changes to water availability and crop productivity, the loss of land due to sea-level rise, and the spread of disease."
Bangladesh is rated No.1 because of a double whammy. It has the highest risk of drought and the highest risk of famine.
It is also struggling with extreme poverty, high dependence on agriculture -- the economic sector most affected by climate change -- and a government that is the least capable of coping with climate impacts.
As for India, "almost the whole (of the country) has a high or extreme degree of sensitivity to climate change, due to acute population pressure and a consequential strain on natural resources," Maplecroft said.
"This is compounded by a high degree of poverty, poor general health and the agricultural dependency of much of the populace."
China (49th), Brazil (81st) and Japan (86th) were among countries in the "high risk" category.
The "medium risk" category included Russia (117th), the United States (129th), Germany (131st), France (133rd) and Britain (138th).
Norway led the group of 11 nations considered at least risk, which is dominated by fellow Scandinavians as well as the Netherlands, which has worked hard to defend its low-lying land from rising seas.
Maplecroft published a climate vulnerability index in 2009 that placed 28 nations at "extreme risk", headed by Somalia, Haiti, Afghanistan, Sierra Leone and Burundi.
However, the 2009 and 2010 indices are not comparable, Maplecroft's Fiona Place said.
The new index, largely reworked, uses three "sub-indices" that focus especially on a country's ability to respond to climate change stress.
"The most serious vulnerabilities to climate change are found in a group of developing countries with socio-economic systems ill-equipped to address development challenges such as food and water security, in addition to being burdened by unstable economies and weak institutions," Place said in an email exchange with AFP.
"This is the case for a large number of countries, with southern Asia and Africa of particular concern."
Bangladesh, India most at risk from climate change
* Bangladesh, India, Madagascar most at risk-Maplecroft
* Nordic region least vulnerable to global warming
Alister Doyle, Reuters AlertNet 20 Oct 10;
OSLO, Oct 20 (Reuters) - Bangladesh and India are the countries most vulnerable to climate change, according to an index on Wednesday that rates the Nordic region least at risk.
British consultancy Maplecroft said its rankings showed that several "big economies of the future" in Asia were among those facing the biggest risks from global warming in the next 30 years as were large parts of Africa.
It said poverty and large low-lying coastal regions prone to floods and cyclones were among factors making Bangladesh the most exposed country. India, in second place, was vulnerable because of pressures from a rising population of 1.1 billion.
Madagascar was in third place, followed by Nepal, Mozambique, the Philippines, Haiti, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and Myanmar. Vietnam, in 13th place and flood-hit Pakistan in 16th were also in the most exposed group.
"Understanding climate vulnerability will help companies make their investments more resilient to unexpected change," wrote Matthew Bunce, principal analyst at Maplecroft, who noted that many Asian countries were attracting large investments.
Norway was bottom of the list of 171 nations, least vulnerable ahead of Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Sweden and Denmark -- all rich north European nations which may initially gain from factors such as longer crop growing seasons.
The ranking combined exposure to extremes such as droughts, cyclones and mudslides, sensitivity to damage tied to poverty, population, internal conflicts and dependence on agriculture, and the capacity of a country to adapt.
The U.N. panel of climate scientists says it is at least 90 percent likely that a build-up of greenhouse gases, mainly from human use of fossil fuels, is responsible for most warming in the past 50 years.
Among major economies, the United States ranked at 129, China 49 and Japan 87. Most European Union nations were low on the list, among less vulnerable countries.
Mexico, which will host annual U.N. climate talks from Nov. 29-Dec. 10 trying to agree building blocks for a U.N. climate deal, was the most vulnerable of rich nations in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development at 45.
Fiona Place, an environmental analyst at Maplecroft, told Reuters the ranking could help companies plan and identify markets where new environmental technologies are needed.
She also said it could help when the U.N. negotiations are focusing more on helping developing countries adapt to the impacts of global warming.
Some states were left off the list because of a lack of data, including North Korea, and small island states like the Maldives that are vulnerable to rising sea levels. (Editing by Tim Pearce)
