Developing megacities most at risk from climate change

A study by mapping firm Maplecroft has revealed that megacities emerging in Africa and Asia will face the brunt of the effects of climate change. This includes sea level rise, flooding and weather related disasters. The study also ranked the world’s nations and cities in terms of climate vulnerability.

The rankings reveal Haiti to be most at risk and Iceland to be the least. Dhaka is the city most at risk, while many other African and Asian cities are at high or extreme risk. The mapping firm state, “Population growth in these cities combines with poor government effectiveness, corruption, poverty and other socio-economic factors to increase the risks to residents and business.”

"The impacts of this could have far reaching consequences, not only for local populations, but on business, national economies and on the balance sheets of investors around the world, particularly as the economic importance of these nations is set to dramatically increase," says chief analyst Charlie Beldon.

Developing world cities are most at risk due to a catenation of vulnerabilities. Most cities in the developing world suffer from: rapidly increasing population, increasing risk from flooding and storms and changes in rainfall intensity and frequency. The negatives of this can also be the positives however, as a changing population can lead to opportunities for goods and services.

The study also pointed out that even developed countries can be vulnerable, highlighting the floods in Brisbane earlier this year. Miami also ranked highly on the list of vulnerable cities.