Poor countries suffer the most

Wednesday March 25, 2020  |  nature
Historically, rich countries are responsible for two-thirds of the CO2 emissions but today, poor and middle-income countries already account for over half of total emissions. Global warming does far more damage to these countries than industrialised economies. 80% of people exposed to river flooding worldwide come from just 15 countries, all of which are in developing areas. According to NASA, global sea levels have risen by about 20 cm since 1880, and are projected to rise another 2.5 to 10 cm by 2100. 10 of the 15 largest developing cities are in low-lying coastal areas, vulnerable to rising seas. But there are other ways in which global warming has a bigger negative impact in the developing world. It exacerbates the spread of diseases which are more prevalent in poorer countries.