The cost of doing nothing: the humanitarian price of climate change and how it can be avoided

By 2050, 200 million people every year could need international humanitarian aid as a result of a cruel combination of climate-related disasters and the socioeconomic impact of climate change. This is nearly twice the estimated 108 million people who need help today from the international humanitarian system because of floods, storms, droughts and wildfires. Even 0 50 100 150 200 250 2050 2030 2018 4 Executive summary by 2030, which is only a decade away, this number could increase almost 50 per cent.

This analysis is a first take on a complex issue. Its objective is to highlight the importance of the problem, but there is uncertainty around the precise numbers. In some ways they represent a pessimistic scenario of rapid climate change, insufficient investments in adaptation, and unequal development patterns.