Acting now to counter the devastating effects of the El Nino phenomenon will cost half as much as waiting, the head of the UN Development Programme told AFP Friday.
Alexander De Croo spoke to AFP at the UN climate conference in the Turkish resort of Antalya. One of the most contentious questions being debated here is how to fund action to meet that challenge.
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"The needs to hedge the impact of El Nino are $36 billion if you do it now," said De Croo.
"If you don't do it, the cost will be $73 billion. So the cost would be two times as high," he added.
"And that's the choice, right? Do we want to anticipate and help people or are we going to wait and live with the consequences?"
Why delaying action could double the cost
El Nino is a climactic phenomenon that comes every two to seven years, heating the waters of the Pacific Ocean from springtime. That causes major changes in wind patterns and air pressure and rainfall across the world in the subsequent months.
This latest El Nino cycle has been exceptionally strong, disrupting weather around the globe.
