By 2050, climate change is likely to cause an additional 14.5 million deaths and $12.5 trillion in economic losses worldwide, according to a new World Economic Forum (WEF) report published earlier this week at the ongoing WEF Davos Summit in Switzerland. The greatest risk is posed by flooding, according to the joint report by WEF and a consulting firm, Oliver Wyman. The authors of the study analysed six key consequences of climate change: floods, droughts, heatwaves, tropical storms, forest fires and rising sea levels. The authors expect the second-highest mortality rate of 3.2 million deaths to be caused by droughts –primarily due to the long-term effects of declining water quality and less fertile soils on child mortality. According to the report, heatwaves could cost around 1.6 million lives by 2050, especially among older people.

Source: Nigerian Tribune January 18, 2024 01:30 UTC