User:Moon straw/Climate change vulnerability

Africa: Africa's major economic sectors are vulnerable to observed climate variability. As a result, Africa's vulnerability to future climate change is projected to be significantly high. An estimated sea-level rise of 0.48m puts coastal cities such as Dar es Salaam, Bagamoyo, Lagos, Cotonou, Porto-Novo, Cairo, and Alexandria at risk of permanent flooding as well as threatening the well-being of natural resources such as marine life. Africa’s decline in agricultural productivity by 34% since 1961 due to climate and lacking economic access to sufficient food puts about 50% of its citizens under what’s known as food stress. Additionally, Article Camber Collective linked that temperature rise would increase the brewing of infectious diseases carried by mosquitoes and ticks; heightening the transmission of malaria, dengue fever, and Lyme disease . Natural disasters including droughts, earthquakes, water scarcity, and heat waves have also adversely affected the livelihood of those from lower-income communities disproportionately claiming at least 15,700 lives.

Asia: Climate change can result in permafrost degradation in boreal Asia. This will make climate-dependent sectors more vulnerable and affect the region's economy. The World Meteorological Organization stated that degradation is a main factor in the increase of droughts and floods hitting the region, being one of the main causes of loss of life and economic damage in countries like Pakistan, Japan, China, and India. The Sherpas a South Asian indigenous group is particularly vulnerable to climate change. Living in the high Himalayas hazards such as lake outbursts, landslides, avalanches, floods, and droughts have made an impact on their livelihoods like survival and funds. With warmer weather becoming more common traditional jobs such as herding and cultivating food have become less common due to unstable livestock and crop conditions as well as guiding due to drops in tourism.

A map depicting all the different types of biomes of the world and how they are dispersed.

Australia: In Australia and New Zealand, some indigenous communities were judged to have a higher level of vulnerability and low adaptive capacity. For example, the Aboriginal Australian population lives predominantly in three biome types which will directly impact their well-being with the onslaught of climate change. Those who don't live on the coast live in either desert or savanna biomes which will be severely impacted by the increasing temperatures brought on by climate change. Additionally, for those Aboriginals who live on the coast, they will be impacted greatly by sea level rise. Overall, these communities will struggle significantly more than their non-native counterparts as they struggle to adapt especially as they don't have as much financial support to do so. Aboriginals make $771 per week, whereas non-natives make $1,888.80.

Europe: Scientists judged the adaptation potential of socioeconomic systems in Europe as relatively high in 2001. This is due to Europe's high GNP, stable growth, stable population, and well-developed political, institutional, and technological support systems. According to an article^[1] by the European Environmental Agency, most of what Europe expects to deal with involves natural disasters such as floods and heat waves. The EEA reported that heatwaves have so far been their largest cause of fatalities and storms/floods cause the most property damage. However, not all communities are benefitting. An example is the Romani people who suffer greatly from environmental racism. In a report^[2] by the European Environmental Bureau, statistics show that 154,000 Romani have been impacted by forms of environmental racism varying from limiting water access, to forced displacement, and insufficient sanitation.   

Latin America: With the deforestation of the world's largest rainforest, South America is taking a punch to the gut when it comes to receiving more CO₂ emissions. It is important to recognize those who will become the most affected by the variability climate change will instill in the most vulnerable communities. In Latin America, there are 42 million indigenous people with 43% being impacted by poverty, according to a report^[1] by the World Bank. Depending on the region, the disparities caused by the wealth gap could impact these indigenous groups in Latin America if their lives are disrupted by climate change. In an article^[2] by Johns Hopkins University, only 7% of issued global funds actually reach the indigenous groups selected for financial support. The lack of funding, on top of environmental racism, is a huge issue facing these communities. An example comes from Ecuador, where the Ecuadorian government has "given over 148 new concessions for gold mines in the Napo province" which pollute the waters used by the Napo province's indigenous people.

North America: Due to North America's vastness, different areas of the continent will receive different climate change impacts. This includes increased drought, vulnerability to extreme weather events, and decreases in crop yield. For example, Native Alaskans have proven to already suffer from the early onset of climate change impacts. Native Alaskans have been forced to live in vulnerable areas due to federal land allotment, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. This has forced them to live in areas increasingly vulnerable to climate change impacts and decreasing access to First Foods, the types of food that indigenous Alaskans have been eating for centuries. Namely, the Chinook salmon, which has become endangereddue to overfishing.

Arctic: The Arctic is extremely vulnerable to climate change. It was predicted in 2007 that the region would have major ecological, sociological, and economic impacts. ^{: 804–805} The Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA). Indigenous peoples in the Arctic, such as the Inuit, Yupik, and Saami, are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Traditional livelihoods, including hunting, fishing, and reindeer herding, are threatened by changes in ice conditions, wildlife migration patterns, and habitat availability. Additionally, melting permafrost can damage infrastructure and contaminate water sources, posing health and safety risks to communities. The thawing of permafrost also releases greenhouse gases such as methane and carbon dioxide, contributing to further warming and climate change, ultimately destabilizing infrastructure built on permafrost, such as buildings, roads, and pipelines.

Small Island Developing States: Particularly vulnerable to climate change. Partly this was attributed to their low adaptive capacity and the high costs of adaptation in proportion to their GDP.

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