Yemen

By the end of the day on January 23 the average Canadian will have produced as much greenhouse gases as the average Yemeni will produce over the course of the entire year.  Therefore, January 23 (23 days into the year) is "Climate Change Impacts in Yemen Day."

According to Yemen’s National Adaptation Programme of Action, the country’s major environmental problems – water supply, soil erosion, and desertification – are all likely to become worse under climate change.  “In addition, there are other climate related phenomena such as dust storms, thunderstorms, and heat waves whose occurrences, though less frequent, still pose serious threat to local livelihoods. Future climate change is expected to see these hazards intensify.”  Temperatures in Yemen are “expected to rise between 1.4 and 2.8 degrees Celsius by 2050.”  While there is uncertainty around future rainfall patterns, they have already become more extreme.  For example, there has been a considerable decrease in rainfall in recent decades, causing agricultural losses, loss of animals, and water shortages.  At the same time Yemen has experienced severe flooding. 

Other key climate change impacts that face Yemen include potential contamination of groundwater sources from sea level rise, drought, loss of biodiversity, damage to coastal environments and communities, and an increased risk of “vector borne and water borne diseases such as malaria.”