These Countries Are The Least Likely To Survive Climate Change: Report

People may be able to survive climate change depending on where they live -- and the U.S. isn’t even on the top 10 list of safest places.

A report released on Wednesday by U.K. solar comparison site Eco Experts ranked which countries can best survive climate change based on data from the University of Notre-Dame. The site looked at 181 countries and their vulnerability to climate change, as well as how prepared they are to adapt to higher temperatures. The ranking was based on healthcare, food supply and government stability. The report also looked at the levels of carbon dioxide the countries emit each year to compare the likeliness of survival against their responsibility for climate change.

The findings come as sea levels rise and as NASA data shows 2017 was the second-hottest year on record. Warming temperatures have already impacted humans, with events like stronger hurricanes and wildfires, as well animals, like warming seas and corals.

“These serve as a worrying indication of the catastrophic effect that climate change could have on our planet in the future if nothing is done to tackle the phenomenon,” Eco Experts said in a post about the climate change evidence. “Whilst it’s clear that no single corner of the globe is safe from the changes that are happening to our climate, we wanted to find out which countries are the most (and least) at risk of the effects of climate change.”

The data shows Norway is the country in the best position to survive global warming. Norway’s neighbors also did well, with Finland taking 3rd place, Sweden coming at 4th place, Denmark 6th and Iceland 8th.

The United States came in at No. 15, while the U.K. did better, taking the 12th spot. Both countries went down in the ranking compared to a 2015 analysis. In the previous report both of the countries had spots among the top 10 countries. Eco Experts said “an overall worsening of their vulnerability and readiness scores led to this slip in rank.” Meanwhile, China came at a much worst spot this year -- ranked at No. 59.

The world’s poorest and least developed nations have a much less chance at surviving climate change, especially countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Ten countries in that region take the worst survivability spots, with Somalia labeled as the nation least likely to survive climate change. Other countries in Africa that are worst off are: Chad, Eritrea, the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Their bad rankings are due to unstable government, poor infrastructure and healthcare, as well as scarcity of food and water, the report said.

“These findings serve as a stark reminder of the need for wealthier, more established countries to support the world’s most vulnerable nations,” Eco Experts said. “This is particularly true given that many of the world’s richest economies contribute the most to climate change but are in fact the least likely to be affected by it, whilst impoverished countries who hold little responsibility for the phenomenon are left suffering the most.”

An example of this is Eritrea, a country in East Africa that emits only 0.01 percent of the total carbon dioxide the U.S. does each year. That number translates to 0.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide, compared to 4,997 tons.

Eco Experts released the following maps based on the report: