Which countries will suffer the most as a result of global climate change?

The global climate is changing and as it does, certain countries are likely to feel the brunt of it. The poorest nations, those that emit the least carbon, are the most threatened by global climate change. Though you might be surprised at where many countries fall.

Standard & Poor’s looked at the impact of global climate change on each country’s economy. The analysis was based on the percentage of countries living on the coast, the percentage of the economy based on agriculture, and the development of each nation.

According to the Standard & Poor’s report on IBT Pulse, “While most sovereigns will feel the negative effects of climate change to some degree, we expect the poorest and lowest-rated sovereigns will bear the brunt of the impact. This is in part due to their reliance on agricultural production and employment, which can be vulnerable to shifting climate patterns and extreme weather events, but also due to their weaker capacity to absorb the financial cost.”

The countries hit hardest by climate change include Cambodia, which has 10 percent of its population living on the coast, 36 percent of its economy is based on agriculture, and it ranks poorly in life supporting services like food, water, health, and infrastructure. Vietnam was also high on the list because so much of its population lives on the coast and a good portion of the economy is built on agriculture. It also ranks poorly in terms of supportive services. Other vulnerable countries include Bangladesh, Senegal, and Mozambique.

The biggest threats arising from climate change include droughts, flooding, storms, rising sea levels, and uncertainty about agriculture. This puts other countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Eritrea, Burundi, and Chad at risk.

Even though the Philippines is a middle income country in Southeast Asia, it’s made up of 7,000 islands that frequently face stronger and stronger storms. And then there’s the flooding. If carbon emissions continue at the level they are today the sea will rise putting 2.6 percent of the global population at risk for flooding (that’s 177 million people!) This includes a quarter of Vietnam’s population and 4 percent of China’s population (50 million people) for example.

Much of Southeast Asia will be at risk for flooding as will the Netherlands. However, the Netherlands is well prepared with the most advanced levee system in the world. And while other countries will likely follow suit, poorer nations won’t be able to afford the infrastructure. In the U.S., 3.1 million people will be impacted by flooding. That’s a small percentage when you consider that we’re the world’s largest emitter.

This is an aerial view that includes just a few of the implications of a changing global climate. And this is why it should be issue number one for lawmakers.

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Scientists are striving to figure out the side effects of global climate change before they hit us like a ton of bricks. You’re likely familiar with some of them including more drastic weather phenomenons, rising tides, and animal dead-offs. But an increase in girl babies? That’s a new one.

New research has shown that global climate change could mean more girl births. Researchers in Japan observed birth ratios and aligned them with temperatures from 1968 to 2012 and found that boy births are declining compared to girl births because it appears that boy fetuses are more vulnerable to fluctuating weather. This means that male fetuses saw an increase in miscarriages as a result of the hot summer in 2010 and the cold winter in 2011, while female fetuses saw no change.

“Male conception seems to be especially vulnerable to external stress factors, including climate changes,” reported the study on TreeHugger.

There’s evidence that the sex ratio is sensitive to other factors as well like pollution in Scotland which seemed to increase girl births again. Additionally, tropical countries tend to produce more girls. But the science is far from clear on the subject.

“The main thing to remember is that [the study in Japan] shows a correlation, which is not the same as causation,” said Timothy Mitchell, from Iowa State University, who studies how temperature affects sex determination in reptiles.

Reptiles are even more sensitive to global climate change than humans. For example, Loggerhead sea turtles lay more female eggs during the warmer months. However, global sex ratios are still higher for boys: 101 boys to 100 girls. Though we’re not completely sure why, some countries including China and India still selectively abort girl babies.

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The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed the strongest actions yet to limit greenhouse gas emissions. The proposed regulations would cut emissions by as much as 30 percent by 2030.

States could meet the new standards through a variety of methods that include energy efficiency, wind and solar alternatives, shifting from coal to natural gas, power plant upgrades, and encouraging a shift in electricity use during off peak hours. EPA says the approach will allow states flexibility in how they abide by the new regulations.

“This proposal is all about flexibility. That’s what makes it ambitious, but achievable,” said EPA administrator Gina McCarthy in The Washington Post.  McCarthy received two standing ovations and did a fist bump with Rep. James P. Moran (D-Va.) before starting her speech. “For the sake of our families’ health and our kids’ future, we have a moral obligation to act on climate.”

Ever since the carbon bill failed in Congress, environmental advocates have been pressing President Obama to take executive action under the Clean Air Act to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The proposed regulations will cut carbon emissions by 500 million metric tons. The draft proposal is open to public comment.

“This momentous announcement raises the bar for controlling carbon emissions in the United States,” said Andrew Steer, president of the World Resources Institute, a Washington research organization, reported in The New York Times, adding, “These new standards send a powerful message around the world.”

These are the strongest actions ever taken by the U.S. to cut the greenhouse gas emissions that trap heat in the atmosphere; scientists warn they are to blame for global climate change. Burning coal is the single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. In all, 600 antiquated power plants may have to close if they can’t meet the new regulations, especially considering that some were built when Dwight D. Eisenhower was president. As a result, the proposal is sure to have to withstand a host of lawsuits and legislative attacks.

This sets the U.S. on track to meet U.N. emission reduction targets set in 2009. Over the long term the U.S. has been the largest emitter of greenhouse gas, but today China is the largest emitter.

“I fully expect action by the United States to spur others in taking concrete action,” Christiana Figueres, executive secretary of the United Nations Framework on Climate Change, said.

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Every 10 years, the United States Global Change Research Program is required to report on how climate change is affecting the United States.

The latest Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States report, released this week, is a comprehensive 188-page document written with the assistance of 13 federal agencies and John Holdren, President Obama’s science advisor.

Dealing only in cold, hard facts, the report outlines the many detrimental effects that global warming is already having on activities, industries, wildlife, the landscape and even health around the country.

This latest report highlights everything from the fact that the core of the domestic maple syrup industry has shifted from the U.S. to Canada to the fact that nation’s $7.6 billion winter sports industry is on the decline with opportunities to ice fish, ski, and snowmobile being reduced due to increased temperatures causing less snow.

It makes for fairly sober reading.

Read the full report here or check out the two-page regional factsheets for your area.

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