NAIROBI, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Rwanda, Burundi, large tracts of southern Niger and Chad, and most of Ethiopia are the most vulnerable parts of a continent that could be the biggest loser from global warming, researchers said on Tuesday. Africa has contributed least to greenhouse gases that cause climate change but its underdevelopment means it is also least prepared to deal with the consequences. Many of the areas identified as most at risk from rising temperatures are among the continent's poorest. "The situation is alarming, not only in relation to climate change," said Mario Herrero of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), launching a report. "It is alarming in the whole of Africa ... ecosystems are also changing due to population pressures and degradation of natural resources," he told reporters. The report, "Mapping Vulnerability and Poverty in Africa", studied the risk from global warming taking into account environmental factors and others including public health, access to markets, poverty levels and governance. It found the small, rain-fed crop and livestock subsistence farming systems in arid and semi-arid areas were the most vulnerable, including Ethiopia, Rwanda, Burundi and large parts of Niger and Chad. "These findings present an immense challenge," said Tom Owiyo, co-author of the study. "Climate change presents a global ethical challenge as well as a development, scientific and organisational challenge in Africa." Some 189 nations are exploring in Nairobi the options for a global agreement to combat climate change and high on the agenda is how the world can help Africa adapt to global warming.
