A British rights group says ethnic minorities and indigenous peoples across the globe suffer disproportionately from the effects of climate change - and that their plight has not been recognized by the international community.
The London-base Minority Rights Group International, in a report published Tuesday, cites evidence from several recent environmental disasters in developing nations to bolster its premise.
The document notes the example of humanitarian relief to Dalits (untouchables) in the flood-ravaged Indian state of Bihar last year. It cites "blatant discrimination" in the post-flood aid distribution process, which led to rioting by locals angered by the slow pace of relief.
The report says the Roma Gypsies of Slovakia, the Rama (indigenous residents of the Caribbean coast) of Nicaragua and the Inuit Eskimos of the Arctic have also suffered disproportionately from the effects of global warming.
The document also cites the widespread evictions of indigenous peoples from rural communities in Columbia, Brazil and Argentina to clear large land tracts for planting biofuel crops.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.