Top 10 Countries with the Highest Death Toll from Climate Change Worldwide

Philippines leads the list compiled by the World Bank (WB) of countries facing the most severe impacts of climate change. With over 7,000 islands, this nation is bearing the brunt of increasingly frequent and intense storms.

In just the past 5 years, the Philippines has experienced numerous super typhoons, causing extensive human and material losses. Some storms have even hit areas previously unaffected by such weather phenomena, such as Typhoon Mindanao.

While the Philippines is just a small part of the worsening climate crisis, the threat to this nation is immense. Rising sea levels due to global warming will submerge many areas of the Philippines, displacing thousands of climate refugees. Droughts and floods will disrupt agricultural production and destroy ecosystems. The risk and intensity of health emergencies, such as dengue fever and diarrhea, will soar.

Similar to Nigeria, our country is currently experiencing significant impacts from floods and storms. From 2001 to 2010, natural disasters, storms, floods, landslides, and droughts caused our GDP (gross domestic product) to decrease by 1.5%, according to information from the government's website.

Moreover, our vast deltas, including the Mekong Delta and the Red River Delta, are suffering severe consequences from rising sea levels. According to the Vietnam Meteorological Center, a 1-meter rise in sea level would result in over 20% of Ho Chi Minh City being flooded. Approximately 10-12% of Vietnam's population would be directly affected, and our GDP would decrease by 10%. The warming climate will directly or indirectly impact the spread of many infectious diseases, especially those transmitted by insects such as malaria, Japanese encephalitis, and dengue fever. As sea surface temperatures rise, the incidence of waterborne diseases will also increase.

In Vietnam, about 60,000 people die each year due to air pollution.

Nigeria ranks second in the list of countries heavily affected by climate change. This is due to climate change hindering and causing severe damage to the oil industry, which is a major sector of the country's economy.

According to Maplecroft, the Niger Delta region - rich in oil reserves - will be the first to bear the impact of climate change. Rising sea levels due to melting ice and changes in rainfall patterns could potentially wipe out some of the country's oil wells.

In Niamey, Niger, industries such as construction, mining, and manufacturing experience over 36 hours of heat stress annually, resulting in a 2.5% loss to the country's future GDP.

The Nigerian Hydrological Services Agency states that Lagos, situated on several lagoons and creeks and close to sea level, along with the states of Bayelsa and Delta, face the highest flood risk, threatening over 20 million people.

Papua New Guinea is the country facing the greatest climate change risk in the Pacific region, making it the most vulnerable nation in the Pacific region to climate change.

This is the only country in the Americas included in this list by Maplecroft. The reason is that the country's location makes it highly vulnerable to earthquakes and hurricanes. A prime example is that to this day, the nation is still recovering from the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake, which claimed 220,000 lives and caused $8 billion in damages according to the United Nations' estimates.

Malawi, a country in southern Africa, relies primarily on agriculture for its economy and is currently facing the risks of prolonged and severe droughts.

Malawi has endured two serious droughts in the past 20 years, with the most prolonged dry spell in its history occurring in 2004. Agricultural productivity in Malawi has significantly declined, and infrastructure such as roads, bridges, and housing may suffer serious damage over the next 30 years if global CO2 continues to rise. Another factor exacerbating the epidemic is the direct impact of climate change, with severe droughts, unprecedented floods, and tornadoes occurring in some countries around the world. WHO is responding to the epidemic in 29 countries, including Haiti, which has reported over 1,200 cases of plague, more than 14,000 suspected cases, and 280 deaths.

Bangladesh is among the top 10 countries affected by climate change globally due to frequent devastating floods. According to the World Bank, the melting of glaciers in the Himalayas due to global warming will cause the water levels of the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers, along with their tributaries, to rise, causing flooding covering 30-70% of Bangladesh's area every year.

The number of deaths due to climate change could nearly double the current annual mortality rate of the country from all cancers and increase by tenfold the number of deaths from road traffic accidents annually.

Sudan, one of the largest countries in Africa, lies close to the Sahara Desert, with predominantly arid or desert land. Hence, it is highly susceptible to the impacts of climate change, especially prolonged droughts, leading to severe food shortages.

Rising temperatures, scarce water resources, arid land, and severe droughts are becoming increasingly common. After years of desertification, Sudan's biodiversity is threatened. Droughts also pose obstacles to the fight against poverty and hunger here. This burden will not only affect food security and the sustainable development of the country but also the livelihoods of many Sudanese families.

Sudan has faced an 'extremely complex emergency situation.''Drought exacerbates desertification, affecting the desert belt in the northern region. As a result, these encroaching deserts have replaced entire villages.' It is estimated that about 1.9 million people worldwide could be affected by reduced agriculture and livestock due to the impact of El Nino weather phenomena. 3.2 million people are expected to face water shortages, potentially leading to 'Significant deterioration in environmental sanitation and personal hygiene conditions.'

Fiji, an island nation in the South Pacific, lies about 1,800 miles east of Australia and comprises over 300 islands with a population of fewer than 1 million people. Like much of the Pacific, it is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

According to the World Bank, three key sectors of Fiji's economy are at risk from global warming, including sugar exports, tourism, and fisheries.

In a 2013 report, the World Bank further noted that if greenhouse gas emissions continue at moderate levels, by 2070 temperatures in Fiji could rise by an additional 2 to 3 degrees Celsius. This would lead to a significant reduction in the country's agricultural output, coral die-offs due to climate change affecting tourism, and severe consequences for fisheries.

Risks include rising sea levels, flooding and landslides, crop and agricultural equipment damage, and increased diseases such as dengue fever, leptospirosis, and typhoid. The impact of climate change has cost Fiji about 5% of GDP annually and has had the most severe impact on the agricultural sector.

Despite being a country with a 'huge' income and experiencing rapid economic growth, Japan can adapt to climate change much better than many other countries. However, the nation has a large proportion of the population (16.2%) living in coastal areas, some even in locations below sea level. This means that if sea levels rise further, these areas will be submerged, displacing over 16.2% of Japan's population. Additionally, Japan is heavily affected by other natural disasters such as tsunamis, floods, typhoons, earthquakes, and especially volcanic eruptions.

In recent years, climate change has led to heavier rainfall in Japan, causing deadly floods and landslides in a country abundant with rivers and mountains. The most vulnerable to harsh weather conditions are the elderly, while Japan has the oldest population in the world. They are not aware that the severity of rain and the danger of floods will only increase over time.