In sum, prolonged droughts; expanded desertification; increased severity of storms with heavy precipitation and flooding and consequent erosion; longer and more severe heat waves; reduced summer river flow and water shortages; decreased grain yields; climate-induced spreading ranges of pests and disease; lost and contaminated groundwater; deteriorated freshwater lakes, coastal fisheries, mangroves, and coral reefs; and coastal flooding—one or more of these impacts are expected to affect most of the world’s poorest countries during this century, and sooner than once believed. Other likely ecological damage includes loss of essential species such as pollinators and soil organisms, forest and crop fires, and rising surface ozone levels. These problems mean that productivity gains can be lost just trying to keep pace with the deterioration.