Global perspective Human stories
The most vulnerable people in the world, like these displaced persons in South Sudan, are more likely to suffer from the effects of climate change.

FROM THE FIELD: Poor and vulnerable bear brunt of climate change

IRIN/Jacob Zocherman
The most vulnerable people in the world, like these displaced persons in South Sudan, are more likely to suffer from the effects of climate change.

FROM THE FIELD: Poor and vulnerable bear brunt of climate change

Climate and Environment

People living in low-income countries are at least four times more likely to be displaced by extreme weather compared to people in rich countries, despite being the least responsible for climate change, that’s according to the UN’s humanitarian office, OCHA.

Before floods peaked in Bangladesh, familes were given storage drums to protect their valuables.
Before floods peaked in Bangladesh, familes were given storage drums to protect their valuables., by FAO

The UN is warning that much more needs to be done to anticipate, and plan for, the extreme weather events that put millions in need of urgent assistance.

In 2019, 34 million people globally were acutely food insecure due to climate extremes, and weather-related hazards triggered some 24.9 million displacements in 140 countries.

Find out more about the impact that the changing climate is having on humanitarian crises, from South Sudan, Syria and Yemen, to the countries of South Asia, here.