Climate change impacts in developing countries

Many of the predicted impacts of climate change exacerbate poverty and make it harder to satisfy basic needs. Globally the supply of drinking water is forecast to increase by 2050, but this will largely benefit regions that are already water-rich and certain tropical wetland areas, whilst rainfall volumes could decrease significantly in arid zones. Further heightening of extremes in the water cycle can be expected, raising the threat of both droughts and torrential rainfall events with ensuing floods. Drought and rising average temperatures, in turn, have substantial implications for food security. In cooler and temperate regions the conditions for agriculture could improve. Yet in some tropical and subtropical regions which are already arid – in other words, where the risk of hunger is greatest – crop yields are forecast to decline, severely in certain regions.

Poor countries have far fewer means at their disposal than wealthy countries for avoiding and mitigating the impacts of climate change. The appropriate infrastructure and financial safeguard mechanisms are rarely in place. Moreover, poverty always means social vulnerability. And there is more to poverty than a lack of income. Often it also entails social exclusion, poor access to basic social services (health, education) and deprivation of legal security, political rights and cultural freedom. As a consequence, in times of crisis, the poor can easily find themselves lacking the purchasing power, the knowledge and the political clout to assert their interests.