In the global debate on climate change, concern for tomorrow is overshadowing the escalating suffering of today. The plight of millions could be diminished dramatically, countless lives saved and huge economic losses lessened, if real commitments were made to reducing the risks people face today – before disasters strike.
Public debate on climate change has been dominated by environmental and political issues, instead of addressing the stark humanitarian consequences of global warming.
One in 33 people were affected by natural disasters last year. That’s a staggering 201 million people – 40 per cent more than 2006. According to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the number of extreme weather events, such as storms and heat waves – events that often lead to disasters – will continue to increase as a result of climate change.
Our own experience, in recent years, has confirmed this disturbing trend. Between 2004 and 2007, the number of disasters Red Cross and Red Crescent societies responded to increased from 279 to 630. Significantly, an increase in floods and other meteorological events have caused responses to rise. In 2004, Red Cross and Red Crescent societies responded to 54 floods. By 2007, this figure had jumped to 162.
It is clear, then, that we must do more than just discuss and address the causes of climate change. With that said, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has made reducing the impact of global warming on people’s lives a priority.
Knowing we will need to respond more frequently, we have increased our Disaster Relief Emergency Fund from 10 million to 25 million Swiss francs. We are training more international and regional disaster response staff, and have formed partnerships to further develop our climate information and early-warning technologies.
It’s the last point – using climate data and analysis to forecast future humanitarian threats – that’s new and potentially lifesaving.
One way we are doing so is through a partnership with the International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI), a premier climate data centre based at Columbia University in New York. IRI’s expertise in climate science gives the International Federation a sound scientific basis from which to make critical decisions, improving our ability to move from reaction to early action.
The already underprivileged suffer most following disasters. But, they shouldn’t have to. Forecasting technology will allow us to warn vulnerable areas in advance of natural disasters. We will be able to evacuate even more people than we regularly do in low-lying areas of Bangladesh well before the next flood or cyclone.
Today, on World Red Cross Red Crescent Day, I urge the humanitarian community to come together and support the International Federation to care for the increasing number of people affected by disasters. We cannot stand alone and watch as more than 200 million people a year are left to suffer. Together, we are stronger, and together, we can save lives. For us early warning means early action.
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Juan Manuel Suárez del Toro, president of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
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