This is according to a report published Friday by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the University of Oxford before COP30 climate summit in Brazil next month.
By overlaying climate hazard data with multidimensional poverty data for the first time, it reveals how the climate crisis is reshaping global poverty.
“Poverty is no longer a standalone socio-economic problem. Instead, poverty is being deepened and linked to the increasingly dramatic effects of the climate emergency,” said UNDP Acting Administrator Haoliang Xu. UN News.
Millions of people face multiple climate shocks
Extreme heat, air pollution, floods and droughts are the most widespread risks affecting the world’s poor, who often face multiple environmental challenges simultaneously.
Globally, 1.1 billion people live in multidimensional poverty – which covers health, education and standard of living – and 887 million people are directly exposed to at least one climate hazard.
A staggering 651 million experience two or more, while 309 million live in regions facing three or four climate shocks simultaneously.
Geographic hotspots
South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa have the largest number of poor people living in regions affected by climate hazards, with 380 million and 344 million respectively.
In South Asia, virtually all people living in poverty – 99.1 percent – face one or more climate shocks. The region also leads the world in the number of people facing two or more risks, with 351 million people, or 91.6 percent.
“Middle-income countries are a hidden epicenter of multidimensional poverty, home to almost two-thirds of all poor people. And they are also where the climate crisis and poverty notably converge,” said Sabina Alkire, director of the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative. UN News.
It is estimated that around 548 million poor people in lower-middle-income countries are exposed to at least one climate hazard, and more than 470 million face two or more.
The report further reveals that countries currently with higher levels of multidimensional poverty are expected to experience the greatest temperature increases by the end of the century.
“Hope and cooperation”
The authors highlighted the need for global action now.
“From our perspective at UNDP, solving such complex and interrelated problems requires holistic and cross-sectoral solutions, adequately funded and urgently implemented,” said Mr. Xu.
“As we look towards COP30, we send a message of hope and cooperation. We know what works and can continue to support people and countries in need.”
Publicado anteriormente en Almouwatin.
