Resilient infrastructure pays off four-fold for low - and middle-income countries and could save those countries $4.2 trillion over the life of the infrastructure, says a new report from the World Bank. Such investments become even more cost effective as the impacts of climate change worsen, according to the report, “Lifelines: The Resilient Infrastructure Opportunity.” The cost of inaction, however, is $1 trillion over the next decade.
Without climate change, resilient infrastructure saves $2 for every $1 spent under the median scenario but with climate change, the countries would save $4 for every $1 spent. "If the impacts are mild, it may be closer to $2," says Ferzina Banaji, a spokeswoman for the World Bank. "The real benefit-cost ratio may be much higher than the median suggests."