Data by the Climate Vulnerable Forum shows only 73 out of 160 nations have complied with the 2020 Paris Agreement deadline for countries to submit revised climate plans to the UN.

Of those 73, 69 countries have stepped up commitments in either adaptation or lowering emissions - 57 countries that submitted stronger emissions reduction targets account for only 13% of global emissions, while the 66 countries that committed to stronger adaptation, account for 1.67 billion people, just a fifth of the global population.

Anna Schulz of the International Institute for Environment and Development noted that eight of the world’s 46 poorest countries submitted stronger climate action plans, and a further 11 are expected to submit revised plans shortly, despite the pandemic and its financial impacts.

Schulz remarked on a number of countries’ bold commitments, “‘despite the fact that they are the most vulnerable to climate change and the least responsible’ for it.”

All this comes on the heels of global temperatures in 2020, which were 1.25C higher than pre-industrial times, tying with 2016 as the hottest year on record, and marking the hottest decade on record.

The US experienced a record 22 separate disasters from wildfires and drought to 7 cyclones and 13 storms that caused more than a billion dollars in damage and numerous displacements.

In Europe, 2020 marked the hottest year on record and climate change impacts were seen in the Arctic and northern Siberia, which faced extreme heatwaves and fires.

The impacts of this were particularly acute in developing countries, where weather-related disasters, not covered by insurance, side-by-side with economic shocks, caused years of economic development setbacks.

Scientists noted 2020 impacts are consistent with growing evidence that climate change is likely to intensify disasters.

The world’s poorest and most vulnerable will also face the worst of rising global health risks driven by climate change, according to Kristie Ebi, a professor at the University of Washington's Center for Health and the Global Environment.

In a December article published in the journal Health Affairs, Ebi said climate impacts on health will widen global inequalities, which will be particularly acute in maternal and child health.

She said scaling up health services for coming threats is crucial, but regardless of wealth, most countries are not preparing.

Globally, less than 0.5% of international climate finance is attributed to climate-related health risks. According to Ebi, the US, National Institutes of Health spends less than 1% of its research budget on climate issues. (Reuters)