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The effects of global warming and a changing climate will not be felt equally across our planet. Regional climate changes will likely be very different from changes in the global average. Differences from region to region could be in both the magnitude and rate of climate change. Furthermore, not all things, whether they be natural ecosystems or human settlements, are equally sensitive to changes in climate. And finally, nations (and indeed regions within nations) vary in their ability to cope and adapt to global warming and a changing climate.
With that said, some nations will likely experience more adverse effects than others, while other nations may benefit more than others. Poorer nations are generally more vulnerable to the consequences of global warming. These nations tend to be more dependent on climate-sensitive sectors, such as subsistence agriculture, and lack the resources to buffer themselves against the changes that global warming may bring. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has identified Africa as "the continent most vulnerable to the impacts of projected changes because widespread poverty limits adaptation capabilities."
For more detailed information on how global warming may impact different regions across the globe, see the IPCC's special report, The Regional Impacts of Climate Change - An Assessment of Vulnerability  (Cambridge University Press, 1998), edited by R.T. Watson, M.C. Zinyowera, and R.H. Moss. The report's Summary for Policymakers is also available online. Finally, IPCC's Working Group II has released its Policymakers Summary on Impacts for the Third Assessment Report (2001).
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