He said this on March 30, 2026, while receiving the Best Young Economist Award. The reason is accelerating ice melt, extreme temperatures and crumbling infrastructure around the world, reveals Le Monde.
The economic impact of global warming
Adrien Bilal emphasized that the scale of the losses had been underestimated: “We are not just talking about slowing growth, but potentially wiping out half of the world’s production. The effects will be global and will affect every sector of the economy,” he said.
According to him, key threats include:
– extreme heat and wildfires that destroy cities and farms;
– floods and rising sea levels that destroy infrastructure and ports;
– chain effects on production, logistics and finance that exacerbate economic inequalities.
In parallel, according to AP NewsArctic sea ice reached a historic low this winter and March 2026 was one of the hottest on record. This reinforces the economist’s predictions: climate shocks are already beginning to affect the global economy.
Experts believe the consequences could be dramatic: countries with vulnerable infrastructure and economies will be hit harder, and global investment will shift from development to “survival.” This makes the climate crisis not only an environmental, but also a global economic and geopolitical problem.
