The World Bank warned in a report on Sunday that climate change could drive 100 million people into extreme poverty in just 15 years.
The report, titled “Shock Waves: Managing the impacts of Climate Change on poverty,” says that increased natural disasters, disruptions in food supplies and the spread of diseases could send the global poverty rate into overdrive by just 2030.
The report finds that poor people are already at high risk from climate-related shocks, including crop failures from reduced rainfall, spikes in food prices after extreme weather events, and increased incidence of diseases after heat waves and floods.
It says such shocks could wipe out hard-won gains, leading to irreversible losses, driving people back into poverty, particularly in Africa and South Asia. (Eagle News Service)