Population and Climate Change Vulnerability calls attention to the reality that in many of the countries that are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, populations are growing significantly faster than in the world as a whole. This rapid growth tends to exacerbate vulnerability at the household, community, and national levels as increasing human needs face growing strains from ever-more damaging extremes of weather and water in a warming world. At the same time, rapid population growth can undermine efforts to build resilience and adaptive capacity. Yet few climate change adaptation plans assess demographic factors in preparing for a near-certain future of climate change vulnerability. Nor do the plans incorporate interventions designed to address population-related challenges. Such interventions could include efforts to support people’s reproductive autonomy and gender equity—shown to strengthen the resilience and adaptive capacity of the current generation—while reducing fertility and thereby slowing population growth over the long term.
This report brings together population, gender, and reproductive health indicators for the 80 most vulnerable countries in the world, as ranked by the Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative. It describes global trends in population growth and climate change vulnerability. And it highlights five countries, Bangladesh, Niger, the Philippines, Uganda, and the United States, where the convergence of these trends creates significant challenges for resilience and adaptation over the long term. Community efforts in these countries demonstrate innovative policy and program approaches that advance gender equity, reproductive health and rights, and climate change adaptation in an integrated fashion.
