Climate Change Vulnerability in Developing Countries, Part 2 of a Multi-part Series

Cyclone Freddy wreaked havoc across Malawi, Mozambique, Madagascar, and Zimbabwe, with Malawi being the most severely affected. Massive flooding and landslides in Malawi resulted in the tragic loss of over 1,200 lives, affecting more than 2.2 million people and displacing more than 659,000. This catastrophe ranks among the world’s costliest climate disasters of 2023. Southern Madagascar has always been dry, but in the past years, it has rained even less than usual. The UN has called it the world’s first climate change-induced famine a result of the West’s carbon-fueled lifestyle. Currently, at least 1.3 million people in Madagascar suffer from malnutrition, further highlighting the urgency of addressing the effects of climate change on vulnerable populations.

From 2000 to 2022, more than10,000 deaths were recorded in small island developing states as a result of climate disasters. A rise of one meter would see the Maldives literally go under, the first country to be drowned because of global warming. “Our islands are slowly being inundated by the sea one by one. If we do not reverse this trend, the Maldives will cease to exist by the end of this century.” The United Nations has warned that Tuvalu, as an entire nation, could become uninhabitable within 30 to 50 years. “Climate change means my home island is sinking, and I will not have a home in the future.” “I feel scared of losing my beloved Tuvalu.” “We’re talking in a matter of decades that that an entire community and society could be wiped out from the face of the Earth.” “We are looking at life and death; you know, if our countries are submerged, there is nowhere to go.”

More than a billion people could be forced from their land in the next 30 years due to our kamikaze lifestyles. Global warming has affected the residents there both physically and psychologically. Residents of small islands are calling on developed nations, which contribute most to global warming, to cut their emissions and financially support developing countries in increasing climate resilience.