Global warming: The nine most affected areas

Bangladesh
People living in the flood-prone delta nation are feeling the full force of climate change. Frequent flooding wipes out crops, spreads disease and destroys homes.

Sudan
Rising temperatures are causing the Sahara Desert to expand, eating into the farmland on the edge of the wastelands and causing immense pressure for food.

Caribbean
Warmer seas are believed to be bolstering the power of hurricanes, which rip through the Caribbean regions with increasing frequency and savagery.

Australia
Australia's arid climate means it has always been prone to forest fires, but scientists believe the ferocity of recent blazes is linked to climate change.

Siberia
Global warming is causing profound changes. Winters that used to reach 50C are a comparatively mild 30C, which is causing permafrost to melt. The nomadic people of the tundra's annual migrations are disrupted

Tuvalu
These low-lying Pacific islands face the threat that they could be wiped out. The highest point of the islands reaches only 4.5 metres above sea level, and the coral upon which the islands are built is seeping seawater.

Great Barrier Reef
Climatologists believe that Australia is experiencing "accelerated climate change", which puts the vast Great Barrier Reef at severe risk. Rising ocean temperatures cause bleaching of the coral.

Alps
The much-loved European winter playground is under threat from warmer temperatures disrupting snowfall and causing the ice to melt. Scientists claim the Alps are gradually being split in two.

Britain
The National Trust warns of threats to historic properties and estates from flooding and storm surges, and highlights the worrying loss of wildlife habitats.