Climate Change Report Reveals How Countries Will Be Affected.

2nd July 2008

A climate change report had revealed which countries will be least and most effected by the effects of climate change.The Climate Change Risk Report looked at factors such as drought, sea levels etc and found that countries in the Northern Hemisphere with low density populations were best suited to adapt to a changing climate.

Dr Andy Thow, one of the authors of the study, said: "Canada is extremely well equipped to adapt to changes in climate.

"This is because of the low pressure on natural resources resulting from a low population density and large land area, combined with high agricultural capacity, a healthy economy, few development and health challenges and excellent public institutions."

The UK came 12th least vulnerable, its high density population making it less able to cope with changes than its neighbours Ireland and the Scandanavian countries with much more pressure on natural resources such as water and farmland.

The countries facing a more unpredicatable future are those with hotter climates and more prone to drought or low lying and in danger of rising sea levels. The report concluded that Comoros Islands off the coast of Africa were at the greatest danger of negative effects of climate change.

Least Vulnerable: Canada, Ireland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, New Zealand, France, Uruguay, Switzerland, USA, United Kingdom, Japan, Iceland, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Estonia, Australia.

Most Vulnerable: Comoros, Somalia, Burundi, Yemen, Niger, Eritrea, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Chad, Rwanda, Haiti, Pakistan, Sudan, Kenya, Uganda, Djibouti, Nepal, Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania.