India among 11 named on US ‘countries of concern’ list on climate change

Afghanistan, India and Pakistan were among the 11 countries singled out by US intelligence agencies as being ‘countries of concern’ with regards to their ability to prepare for and respond to environmental and societal crises caused by climate change

According to National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) report, prepared by the intelligence officials and scientists, these countries will bear the brunt of global warming that could include intensifying and more frequent heat waves and droughts and water and power scarcity.

The other countries on the list are Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Iraq, Nicaragua, Colombia, Myanmar and North Korea.

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The NIE on climate was put together by the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which oversee 16 intelligence agencies on Thursday

“The IC (Intelligence Community) identified 11 countries and two regions of concern from the threat from climate change,” the report said, adding, “Building resilience in these countries and region would probably be especially helpful in mitigating future risks to US interests.”

The report said the intelligence community assessed that these countries are likely to face “warming temperatures, more extreme weather, and disruption to ocean patterns that will threaten their energy, food, water, and health security”.

The report recommends a range of steps: doing more to monitor for floods or other disasters likely to create climate refugees, targeting US aid that can allow people to ride out droughts or storms in their own countries, and working with Congress to consider humanitarian visas and other protections for people displaced by extreme weather.

The US intelligence community also names other countries that are “comparatively more exposed and have fewer resources to adapt to climate change effects”. These countries are China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.

In a separate fact-sheet, the White House said, “Climate change will increasingly exacerbate a number of risks to US national security interests, from physical impacts that could cascade into security challenges, to how countries respond to the climate challenge. While the IC judges that all of these risks will increase and that no country will be spared from challenges directly related to climate change.”

It also urges the creation of a task force to coordinate USmanagement of climate change and migration across government, from climate scientists to aid and security officials.

Each year, hurricanes, the failure of seasonal rains and other sudden natural disasters force an average of 21.5 million people from their homes around the world, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees says.

(With inputs from agencies)