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Natural disasters push 26 million people into poverty and cost the world about $520 billion every year — which is about 60 percent lower than is usually reported, according to a new World Bank study.
La Banque mondiale estime que les inondations, tempêtes, séismes et tsunamis plongent chaque année 26 millions de personnes dans la pauvreté.
The devastation in floods, earthquakes or droughts is generally measured by how much stuff or assets people lose — say the number of wrecked houses and the dollar amount it would take to rebuild them. In the course of a year, that adds up to a lot of money: $300 billion by some accounts.
As the skies open up with heavy rain and the water rises dangerously behind the Nangbeto hydropower dam in rural Togo, local authorities face a tough decision: When do you raise a warning for the flood-prone villages below and approve funds to set up relief efforts? What if nothing happens and you’re accused of wasting money? Or if you’re not fast enough and people die?
The cost of natural disasters worldwide could hit $314 billion annually by 2030, up from around $250 billion now, as urban expansion continues at a eesiapid pace and global warming continues to contribute to a rise in natural disasters, according to new research.
Climate change could plunge tens of millions of city dwellers into poverty in the next 15 years, threatening to undo decades of development efforts, the World Bank said on Wednesday.
Under the Grant Agreement, the Royal Government of Bhutan will receive a Grant of US$ 3.8 million from the World Bank for the Hydromet Services and Disaster Resilience Regional Project.
According to recent studies, human activities have had an influence on climate change, which is now impacting both weather patterns and storm intensity.
Natural disaster risk is increasing rapidly. While annual figures can vary, comparing ten-year averages paint a stark picture: between 2005 and 2014, disaster risks caused an average of 10 times more damage and affected 10 times more people per year than between 1976 and 1985.
Cities around the world are failing to plan for fast-increasing risks from extreme weather and other hazards, particularly as population growth and surging migration put more people in the path of those threats, the World Bank said on Monday.