We’re only a few degrees of global warming away from dangerous climate change. Although this will affect everyone, it poses the biggest challenge to people living in the world’s poorest countries – despite the fact that emissions there are typically very low. This means that those least responsible for the problem are going to be hardest hit.
- Hurricanes and floods are likely to become ever more devastating.
- Higher temperatures will cause killer diseases like malaria to spread.
- Crops will fail as rainy seasons become shorter and fertile land turns into desert.
- Rivalry for land, minerals and water could lead to conflict.
A reliable climate and resources like forests and water play a key role in reducing poverty. Poor people depend on them for food, shelter, energy and medicines. About two in three people in Africa rely on farming, which makes them very vulnerable to disasters like flooding, landslides and drought.
Degrees of Separation?
A new booklet from DFID shows just how close the links are between climate change and poverty. "Degrees of separation" looks through the perspectives of three people: John from Kenya, Yasmin from Bangladesh and Sarah from the UK and explains how DFID and others are working to tackle climate change.
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