According to the UNDP, the populations of poor countries are 80 times more vulnerable when faced with climate change.
Despite their vagueness, vulnerability and the capacity to adapt are 2 closely connected concepts: the greater a society's capacity to adapt, the less its vulnerability and vice versa.
The level of vulnerability of a given population depends:
- On its exposure to the impact of climate change (environmental vulnerability)
- On socio-economic factors that determine its capability to adjust to this impact (socio-economic vulnerability)
Vulnerability is not then an absolute concept but depends on the given society. Especially, it must include the political and cultural situation of the country.
Changes in climate introduce an additional factor of inequality and disparity between the different geographical zones of the planet.
The developing countries, the first to be affected by these changes, are not able to protect themselves against the impact of this phenomenon, nor adjust to it. Climate change increases the precarious situation of the poorest populations (food security, access to health care, water and energy, housing...). It adds to the harsh living conditions of the people and to the development challenges they face.
Finally, climate change directly affects flourishing sectors of economic development: forestry, agriculture, tourism...
