The Socioeconomic Impact of Climate Change in Developing Countries in the Next Decades

This paper provides a discussion of future trends as established in the literature on the interaction between socioeconomic indicators and projected future climate change scenarios. It enhances our understanding of future predicted patterns of climate change effects in the coming decades and the need for climate-resilient interventions. There is a significant body of literature on climate impacts on GDP per capita and crop yield in developing countries. However, impacts on farmland value, water resources, and energy security have received much less attention. Across sectors, countries, and regions, the most vulnerable groups were found to be disproportionately affected, and the impact is predicted to be larger in the long term than in the medium term. There are feasible adaptation and mitigation options, but these need to be developed and designed to reflect local peculiarities or contexts. Generally, the review report indicates the need for urgent actions to be undertaken, especially in the most vulnerable countries, if we are to stand a chance of averting or minimizing the menace of climate change in the future.