Prepare for accelerating climate risks, IPCC says

Governments and businesses must prepare for increasingly severe storms, droughts and other extreme weather events intensified by climate change, an international panel of scientists has said.

"Few countries appear to have adopted a comprehensive approach – for example, by addressing projected changes in exposure, vulnerability and extremes," the report says.

The report says countries need to better assess people and places vulnerable to climate disasters and recommends spreading the financial risk to help poorer countries cope. This could take the form of micro-insurance, catastrophe bonds, or national and regional risk pools to help finance rebuilding and recovery.

However, Rajendra Pachauri, head of the UN panel, told reporters efforts to curb climate-warming emissions must be continued.

"Whatever we do, we have to adapt, of course," he said at a briefing. "But also at a global level, we need to mitigate the emissions of greenhouse gases so that we ensure that these thresholds or tipping points are not exceeded."