It’s not a surprise to anyone that our planet is getting warmer. As a consequence, extreme weather like floods and storms are more likely to happen, sea levels are more likely to rise, forest fires are happening more frequently and the air quality is decreasing.
In 2019, for example, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and the Bahamas were the countries most impacted by climate change and that had the most extreme weather as a consequence (relief web). Here are 5 countries with a current environmental crisis that you should know about.
The Philippines
The Philippines is extremely susceptible to natural disasters like earthquakes, tsunamis and hurricanes (TIME). Climate change also increases the intensity of these disasters. In addition to the already destructive natural disasters, there is a lack of infrastructure within the Philippines. This makes it harder for people to evacuate affected areas and to drain the water from the storms (TIME).
For example, Typhoon Mangkhut was the most powerful typhoon recorded worldwide in 2018. The Category 5 storm killed about 59 people (Changing America).
Australia
Australia took the news in 2019 due to the wildfires that spread through the majority of the country. Pictures of smoke-covered cities and animals being rescued spread fast on social media. Many animals were at risk of extinction and the level of smoke was compared to a volcanic eruption (CNN).
Wildfires are not the only problems that are taking over Australia right now. The Great Barrier Reef is the largest barrier reef in the world. It has more than 1400 miles and it is located on the Northeast coast of Australia (CN Traveller). As a consequence of climate change, coral bleaching has intensified which risks the life of this fundamental marine habitat (CN Traveller).
India
Mumbai is one of the most populous cities in the world with almost 20 million citizens. However, with climate change and the rising sea levels, parts of the city might be underwater in the next few years (CN Traveller). The city is a risk of constant flooding and will mostly affect the poor and migrant population (CN Traveller).
The yearly monsoon season in India may cause stronger floods and landslides in the next few years. For instance, in Kerala, 324 people drowned or died as a cause of landslides in 2018 (Changing America). There are also cyclones, such as Titli and Gaja that caused major disturbances with energy providers (Changing America).
Haiti
As we’ve discussed already, climate change has the ability to intensify extreme weather. Haiti is already susceptible to hurricanes, which could cause major difficulties within the next few years as they become more intense. The country, which is an island, is located in an area called the “Atlantic Hurricane Basin.”
In addition to that, the saltwater may contaminate the supply of freshwater as sea levels rise which will ultimately harm their agriculture (TIME).
Japan
Certain areas of Japan, such as Osaka, are at risk of being drowned due to rising sea levels (CN Traveller). These same areas have already experienced extreme hurricanes and tsunamis which indicates that these natural disasters will only intensify in the future.
In 2018, Japan had three extreme weather events that resulted in floods and mudslides. The results from such extreme events killed more than 200 people, damaged 5000 houses, and evacuated 2.3 million people. In addition to that, heatwaves have been causing deaths and hospitalizations across the country (Changing America).
References
https://www.cntraveler.com/gallery/10-places-to-visit-before-theyre-lost-to-climate-change
https://reliefweb.int/report/world/global-climate-risk-index-2021
https://time.com/5687470/cities-countries-most-affected-by-climate-change/