UN Report: Climate Change Will Hit Poor Hardest

Expect floods, droughts, fires—and resulting starvation, conflict, and mass migration—as climate change becomes more pronounced, says a U.N. report released today. And expect the poor to get hit the hardest, as deserts get drier, deltas flood more often, and small islands are overwhelmed.

The report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change comes on the heels of its February study on the scientific evidence for climate change. More than 100 countries have signed on, after days of dragging debate. A cohort of the world's worst polluters and biggest fossil fuel producers—China, Russia, and Saudi Arabia—hoped to strike key passages, while the U.S. demanded toned-down language in spots. (More climate change stories.)