The poorest countries are likely to experience the most unfamiliar and problematic climates in a world of unbridled climate change, researchers in the UK and New Zealand have warned.
The scientists have invented a new approach to assess how easily countries can adapt to climate change, based on how many months of the year will bring temperatures that those countries have not experienced in recent memory. In their assessment, under an RCP8.5 warming scenario after 2050, richer countries will experience up to 4 months per year of unfamiliar temperatures, while poorer countries will experience up to 10 months per year.
The disparity is primarily due to the mid-latitude location of richer countries, which gives them distinct seasons and a greater range of annual temperatures, and so more experience on which to prepare for the future. […]
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