AKIPRESS.COM - Global warming may lead to more heat-related deaths and increase the damage caused by floods in Japan, Bloomberg reported referring to a group of researchers.

Around 3,000 deaths each year in Japan are linked to heatstroke, a number that may double if no adaptation measures are taken, according to the report on the impact of climate change prepared for the Ministry of the Environment.

Measures of the Government to improve the situation can include planting trees and replacing buildings with new ones that can reduce waste heat, said the group led by Ibaraki University professor Nobuo Mimura.

Damages from flooding in Japan may triple by 2100 from the average yearly cost of about 200 billion yen ($2 billion) between 1981 and 2000, according to the study. That is based on a scenario where no measures are taken to improve flood control.

Further study is needed to assess the costs of flood prevention measures. The study came ahead of a meeting of experts in Yokohama later this month to discuss measures to tackle climate change.