Sudan Is Number One*

Granted, it's number one on the World Bank list of countries likely to suffer food deficits as a result of climate change.  Win some, lose some.

The most recent World Bank report on climate change - Convenient Solutions to an Inconvenient Truth - lists the countries most at risk for a range of climate change-related threats, including drought (Malawi), flooding (Bangladesh), increased storms (Philippines), rising sea levels (all low-lying island states), and greater agricultural uncertainty (Sudan).

As a recent IRIN article explained:

"Most of Sudan, Africa's largest country, is arid land or desert, and most at risk of food deficits resulting from the impact of climate change on agriculture. It lies in the Sahel, a region described as the most vulnerable in the world to droughts by the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC), an international scientific body."

Africa as a whole is particularly at risk.  According to the World Bank report:

- By 2020, between 75 and 250 million of people are projected to be exposed to increased water stress due to climate change.

- By 2020, in some countries, yields from rain‐fed agriculture could be reduced by up to 50 per cent.

- Towards the end of the century, projected sea level rise will affect low‐lying coastal areas with large populations. The cost of adaptation could amount to at least 5 to 10 per cent of GDP.

- By 2080, arid and semi‐arid land is projected to increase by 5 to 8 per cent.

The full list of countries most at risk from climate change is below:

[Photo of Darfur from Norwegian Refugee Council]