India among the worst affected by climate change: IMF study

A study on the impact of climate change by the International Monetary Fund, or IMF, shows countries in the tropics will be the worst affected as a result of global warming.

“For the median emerging market economy, a 1°C increase from a temperature of 22°C lowers growth in the same year by 0.9 percentage point,” says the report.

The accompanying chart shows the effect of a 1 degree rise in temperature on per capita output for several countries.

India is one of the worst affected, with its per capita output expected to fall by 1.33 percentage points.

Other countries in the region, such as Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia will be similarly affected.

Note that the impact of most developed nations, located in the temperate zone, is negligible. The overall impact on China’s growth, too, is estimated to be negligible. On the other hand, some northern nations such as Russia, Norway and Canada will see their growth improve.

These predictions underline the importance of policies to combat the impact of climate change in countries like India.