Washington, D.C.—With the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reporting that the world’s poorest will be hit hardest by global warming, Sarah DeWeerdt examines the connections between population and climate change in the lead article of the May/June issue of World Watch magazine. Ironically, global warming is threatening the most vulnerable populations—those least responsible for causing it, writes DeWeerdt: “Accounting for population growth, continued ‘business as usual’ greenhouse gas emissions could increase the ranks of the hungry by 80 million by 2080, mostly in Africa and southern Asia. Mosquitoes that carry malaria and dengue fever have recently been spotted in highland areas of Africa, Asia, and Latin America where temperatures are rising, glaciers are retreating, and plant communities are moving to higher altitudes. And a sea-level rise of one meter could drive 18.6 million people in China, 13 million in Bangladesh, 3.5 million in Egypt, and 3.3 million in Indonesia from their homes.”

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