The world is on course to warm as much as 4 degrees Celsius, or
7 degrees Fahrenheit, by 2100, prompting extreme heat-waves,
severe drought and major floods as sea-level rises, warns the
World Bank in a new report. All regions would suffer, but the
tropics and subtropics are among the most vulnerable and the
planet's poorest people would be hit the hardest, according to
the study, "Turn Down the Heat," released Sunday. The study says
current global efforts, aimed at keeping warming to below a
2-degree change, don't go far enough. "We don't have time to
lose," says Rachel Kyte, the World Bank's vice president for
sustainable development, urging drastic action to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions. She says Superstorm Sandy shows "the
fragility of a lot of our infrastructure" and the need for
resilient agricultural, transportation and energy systems. Her
organization, which promotes growth in developing countries,
commissioned the report by the Germany-based Potsdam Institute
for Climate Impact Research and Climat