Poor and fragile countries not only often experience high population growth; they are also particularly hard hit by the consequences of global climate change. Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and threaten the livelihoods of those who have contributed least to their occurrence. For example, with an average of 4.6 children per woman, the African continent is responsible for only 3.7% of global CO2 emissions.

The countries that have made the most progress in their demographic transition – that is, their evolution from youthful to aging societies – also have the highest per capita greenhouse gas emissions. The current issue of "Development in Brief" explores the questions: Why is that? Why are people in the global South particularly affected by climate change? And, can this in turn have an impact on population figures?

What connects the climate crisis with demographic trends?(PDF, 170 KB, accessible)