Southern hemisphere economies will struggle to adapt to the realities of climate change, while northern countries with developed economies will be better able to cope, according to a climate change index published by risk management and corporate responsibility research firm Maplecroft.

The report, which features a "risk index" built from criteria including poverty levels, agriculture, and population settlement, positioned Canada as the country most able to deal with climate change. The USA and the UK ranked 11th and 12th respectively, behind France and Scandinavian countries such as Finland and Denmark.

In addition to examining country-level trends, Kevin Franklin, director of research strategy for Maplecroft, explained that the report's data set drilled down to a 25 square kilometre level to predict the fortunes of particular regions.

"There are certain elements or parts that are more darkly shaded, and it isn't necessarily down to coastal zones," he said, referring to the dark shades on Maplecroft’s world map of climate change vulnerability, which indicated areas at particular risk. "It depends on the nature of the country."

The regional analysis showed south western US being more susceptible to climate change than the north east, for example, a finding that the US Government's own report has also supported.

Africa, the Middle East, and Asia were the most vulnerable regions on the map. East Africa will be in particular trouble; Comoros, an island country close to Madagascar, was the country most vulnerable to climate change, with Somalia and Burundi running second and third.

Policy makers would be interested in the report, Franklin said, but added that multinational businesses are its primary target. "It will advise them on certain countries and how to mitigate their risks there," he said. "It also helps them to predict the impact on any investment decisions they may be making, or to ensure that the appropriate measures are taken to safeguard their investments."