Bangladesh is listed among the top five countries vulnerable to climate change according to a recent research from Maplecroft, a UK-based risk consultancy.

Bangladesh ranks second in the list of ‘five worst performing countries’, said the research.  

‘One of the cruel ironies of climate change is that its impacts tend to fall hardest on the countries least equipped to manage them’, reports motherjones.com.

‘Some of the most extreme effects of global warming are headed for developing countries — drought wiping out crops in East Africa, or catastrophic hurricanes pounding Southeast Asia—that don't have access to those resources.’

The new research paints a pictures of where vulnerability to climate change is most pressing. Their analysis drew on three criteria: exposure to extreme events, based on the latest meteorological science; sensitivity to impacts (i.e., does a country have other sources of income and food supply if agriculture takes a hit?); and adaptive capacity — are the country's government and social institutions prepared to work under adverse climate conditions and help citizens adapt to them?

Bangladesh is ranked second in ‘exposure to extreme events’ criteria.

‘Africa and Southeast Asia ranked the lowest, while Scandinavian countries ranked the highest. (While definitely at risk from sea level rise, countries such as Norway and Sweden have rich, highly functional governments to manage adaptation.)’

Other four worst performing countries are: Chad, Niger, Haiti, and Central African Republic.

‘The major global climate talks in Paris are coming up in just a couple weeks; the chart above makes it clear why it's so important for big players like the US and China to work closely with delegations from developing countries on solutions that will provide immediate support and relief.’