Who is most at risk from impacts of climate change?

This is a fantastic question, because it shows that you're thinking about fairness and justice when it comes to climate change! 

Climate change affects each country, city and family differently, and some places and communities unfortunately will be hit harder than others. A way to start thinking about this is by thinking about how different people were affected by Covid-19. Although we were all facing the same problem, some countries with good healthcare services and money were more prepared to deal with it, but some other countries that struggled with poverty and poor living conditions suffered with more people getting sick.  

With that in mind, when we look at all the countries in the world, some are at higher risk because their land is close to the sea level, including Bangladesh and Kiribati, and they may lose land and homes to sea level rise. Other countries, like Haiti and the Philippines, are more at risk because they already experience a lot of natural disasters like hurricanes and floods, which will become more common as climate change impacts are more unpredictable and severe. Finally, countries that suffer from poverty and war, including Yemen and Afghanistan, are at risk as their governments cannot help their people adapt to climate change, or access basic needs such as food and water.  

At home in Australia, climate change can have worse effects on communities that suffer from health issues, such as older people, as higher temperatures can cause health issues. Some rural places already commonly experience natural disasters like bushfires and floods, and will face them more often into the future. Aboriginal people are also at a higher risk from climate change, as they experience more common climate-related health issues and have less access to financial and social support.  

Although a lot of this can sound stressful, I hope that you do not lose hope, but instead know that it is so important that we not only look after ourselves, but other people in our communities that may be struggling. Climate change will impact us all in the future, and the way we can fight it is by supporting each other, and doing all we can to protect people and the planet.