British risk-analysis company Maplecroft created the index using data from more than 40 studies to evaluate 42 social, economic and environmental factors, including a nation’s exposure to climate-related disasters, its population density and dependence on agriculture. According to Maplecroft, the countries most at risk are characterised by high levels of poverty, dense populations, exposure to climate-related events and a reliance on flood and drought prone agricultural land.

Sixteen countries were found to be at ‘extreme risk’, ten of them from Asia. Bangladesh was rated the country most at risk due to extreme levels of poverty, a high dependency on agriculture and the lowest capacity of
all countries to adapt to changes in the climate. The countries at lowest risk were mostly in Scandinavia, although Ireland also performed well.

‘There is growing evidence that climate change is increasing the intensity and frequency of climatic events,’ said Anna Moss, an environmental analyst at Maplecroft. ‘Very minor changes to temperature can have major impacts on the human environment, including changes to water availability and crop productivity, the loss of land due to sea-level rise and the spread of disease.’

December 2010