1.3 The impacts

The potential impacts of climate change are likely to be very severe at an aggregate level and at the level of the impacts on individual unique ecosystems and countries. At an aggregate level, the temperatures and sea levels are expected to rise and there is an expectation of extreme weather events. At the specific level, it is expected that some ecosystems will be unable to cope with the rate of change, that climate change will further exacerbate the frequency and magnitude of droughts in some parts of the world and that, consequently, food production and water security will be affected. Coastal zones might also suffer considerably, and the lives and livelihoods of human populations in coastal areas, arid and semi-arid areas, and cyclone-prone regions are particularly at risk. The risk will be increased by the greater incidence of heat stress and vector-borne diseases especially in the tropics and sub-tropics (Watson et al. 1996: 3-19). Countries with higher financial and technological ability may be in a better position to cope with the impacts of climate change than the developing countries with limited resources.