Climate change is affecting the Middle East and Central Asia more than anywhere else in the world, leading to dire economic, financial, and social consequences for the regions, the IMF warned in a new report. Climate disasters pose a “major threat” to growth and prosperity, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said. These include droughts in North Africa, Somalia and Iran, epidemics and locust infestations in the Horn of Africa, and severe floods in the Caucasus and Central Asia.

The numbers are frightening: Climate disasters in the regions injured and displaced 7 mn people in an average year and caused more than 2.6k deaths and USD 2 bn in physical damage.

The solution? The world needs to cut global emissions by one half by 2030 to avoid further consequences, Georgieva added. This should be done through climate adaptation policies on a domestic and international level as well as through investments in resilient infrastructure and better flood protection. Reuters has the story.