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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Seth Borenstein

Study finds more people are moving into high flood zones, increasing risk of water disasters

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Far more people are in harm's way as they move into high flood zones across the globe, adding to an increase in watery disasters from climate change, a new study said.

Since 1985, the number of the world’s settlements in the riskiest flood zones has increased 122%, compared to 80% for the safest areas, according to a study in Wednesday’s journal Nature by researchers at The World Bank. The authors looked at settlement extent and expansion using satellites instead of population, with the world’s built-up regions growing 85% overall from 1985 to 2015.

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