The Institute for Economics and Peace recently released its inaugural Ecological Threat Register which examines the number of ecological threats faced by 157 countries and territories. It focuses on population growth, water stress, food insecurity, droughts, floods, cyclones, rising temperatures and sea levels. The analysis is unique in that it combines measures of resilience with the most comprehensive ecological data available to highlight the countries and territories least likely to cope with ecological shocks now and in the future.
The 19 countries with the highest number of ecological threats in 2020 are also among the world's least peaceful nations, including Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq and Chad. The research states that more than one billion peope live in 31 countries where resilience levels are unlikely to sufficiently withstand the impact of ecological events by 2050, resulting in mass population displacement.
