Climate Change Kills 300,000 a Year

According to Human Impact Report: Climate Change - The Anatomy of a Silent Crisis, a study released by the Global Humanitarian Forum, we are facing the negative effects of climate change now, especially in poorer countries. Former UN Secretary-General and president of Global Humanitarian Forum Kofi Annan explains:

Climate change is the greatest emerging humanitarian challenge of our time, causing suffering to hundreds of millions of people worldwide. As this report shows, the first hit and worst affected are the world's poorest groups, and yet they have done least to cause the problem.

The report states that 300,000 people currently die annually from climate change, and that number will rise to 500,000 by 2030. Residents of semi-arid regions are most at risk. Tim Hurst of Red, Green, and Blue writes:

The report also suggests that the world's twenty most vulnerable nations to climate change account for less than one percent of total worldwide emissions. In addition, 98% of those affected by climate change, 99% of all deaths and over 90% of all economic losses are borne by those countries least able to cope with the impacts of climate change and least able to invest the resources in fending them off.

Heavy polluting countries in the first world need to make it a priority to help these countries.

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Posted by Jennifer Lance at June 2, 2009 10:19 AM