Climate change risk list highlights vulnerable nations and safe havens

Norway, Finland, Japan, Canada and New Zealand are the countries best placed to weather the effects of climate change, while Africa hosts 22 of 28 “extreme risk” countries, according to the Climate Change Vulnerability Index (CCVI), released today.

“The interrelated nature of global risks mean that ineffective adaptation to climate change will make the world more vulnerable to other risks such as energy, food and water security, infectious diseases like malaria, displacement, political instability and even conflict,” said Professor Alyson Warhurst, of Warwick Business School and founding director of Maplecroft.

“In combination, these risks reinforce one another and threaten to undermine global development and economic growth. Governments and non-governmental organisations increasingly view business as a key player in preventing the impacts of climate change. Business needs to reduce the impacts of climate change throughout global value chains and by doing so make a positive contribution to the defining challenge of the 21st century.”