Climate change puts 1.3bn people and $158tn at risk, says World Bank

Organisation urges better city planning and defensive measures to defend against rapid rise in climate change-linked disasters

The global community is badly prepared for a rapid increase in climate change-related natural disasters that by 2050 will put 1.3 billion people at risk, according to the World Bank.

Urging better planning of cities before it was too late, a report published on Monday from a Bank-run body that focuses on disaster mitigation, said assets worth $158tn - double the total annual output of the global economy - would be in jeopardy by 2050 without preventative action.

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