MADRID, Dec 3 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – The number of people at risk of being forced from their homes by river flooding could surge to as many as 50 million a year by the end of the century if governments do not step up action to tackle climate change, researchers warned on Tuesday.
That would be five times the average of 10 million displaced a year from the mid-1970s to 2005, and would happen as populations grow and as rainfall intensifies and ice melts on a warmer planet, causing more frequent and severe floods, said study author Justin Ginnetti.
About half the predicted increase would be caused by the effects of climate change and the rest by expanding populations, he noted.