Climate change is already contributing to the deaths of nearly
400,000 people a year and costing the world more than $1.2
trillion, wiping 1.6% annually from global GDP or Gross Domestic
Production, according to a new study, reports Fiona Harvey at
the UK Guardian. The impacts are being felt most keenly in
developing countries, according to the research, where damage to
agricultural production from extreme weather linked to climate
change is contributing to deaths from malnutrition, poverty and
their associated diseases. Entitled Climate Vulnerability
Monitor: A Guide to the Cold Calculus of A Hot Planet the report
was written by more than 50 scientists, economists and policy
experts, and commissioned by 20 governments. Air pollution
caused by the use of fossil fuels is also separately
contributing to the deaths of at least 4.5 million people a
year, the report found. By 2030, the researchers estimate, the
cost of climate change and air pollution combined will rise to
over 3% of global GDP, with the world’s l