The Planet Foundation

Climate Change: The Humanitarian Impact and beyond...

Climate change is not just a threat, it is the main driver behind rising humanitarian needs and we are seeing its impact now. Find out more about the humanitarian impact and how we need to counter the effects of climate change in risk-prone countries.

The number of people affected and the damages inflicted by extreme weather – mainly due to torrential rain, bursting rivers, violent winds and insidious droughts – have been unprecedented.

Particularly vulnerable are people whose lives are already threatened by abject poverty, HIV/AIDS, environmental degradation, inadequate housing and insecurity. Those living in disaster hotspots – such as in flood plains or in cyclone tracks - are exposed to repeated climatic shocks that just compound their vulnerability. With the threat of extreme weather events in the future, the demand for disaster response can only rise, as will the costs.

Tackling climate change needs a global and comprehensive response; curbing greenhouse gases, helping people adapt to changing weather and investing in risk reduction. But for humanitarians, there is one clear-cut challenge: to ensure an effective disaster response.

The Threat of Climate Change

Climate disasters are on the rise. Around 70 percent of disasters are now climate related – up from around 50 percent from two decades ago.

These disasters take a heavier human toll and come with a higher price tag. In the last decade, 2.4 billion people were affected by climate related disasters, compared to1.7 billion in the previous decade. The cost of responding to disasters has risen tenfold between 1992 and 2008.

Destructive sudden heavy rains, intense tropical storms, repeated flooding and droughts are likely to increase, as will the vulnerability of local communities in the absence of strong concerted action.

Growing Vulnerability

Over the next twenty years, we can expect more and intense climatic hazards everywhere. Particularly at risk are those communities located in areas prone to floods, cyclones and drought. Suffering repeated climatic shocks depletes their resources and makes them reliant on external assistance.

Most vulnerable are people with insufficient assets or resources, who are less prepared or equipped to cope with major climate disruption. Many other factors influence individual vulnerability, such as HIV/AIDS, access to public services, environmental degradation, inadequate housing, conflict and insecurity.

Finding Solutions

The effect of climate change is already straining the disaster relief system and the threat of extreme climatic events in the future is likely to generate higher demands for disaster assistance that will prove more costly.

We cannot afford to stand-by and watch as the destructive effects of repeated climate disasters overwhelm vulnerable communities the world over. We must respond and adapt quickly to the challenge.

This all requires a rethink of humanitarian action. In hazard hotspots, we must shift our focus and invest in better disaster planning and preparedness to reduce the effects of extreme weather on communities. Rather than react to emergencies, we must learn to act sooner and act smarter.

Key Actions

Tackling the threat of climate change in risk-prone areas will need a system-wide shift in our attention – in the shape of more funds, resources and expertise – to strengthen preparedness for an effective response. There are many dimensions to this, but two critical elements are to:

Ensure dedicated funding. Disaster preparedness in risk-prone countries needs dedicated, reliable and consistent funding. The 2007 flood response in Mozambique illustrates the payback of investing in preparedness.

Focus efforts on ensuring good disaster preparedness at a national level in high-risk countries. Mozambique demonstrates that, in countries with a viable government, the role of disaster management at the national level is critical, and a prerequisite for an effective response.

Links to other informative pages:

IRIN: In-Depth: Gathering Storm - the humanitarian impact of climate change

Relief Web: Humanitarian Implications of Climate Change

Gateway to the UN System's Work on Climate Change

Key documents

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
IPCC 4th Assessment Report (2007)

Stern Review
Report on the Economics of Climate Change (2006)

Maplecroft, CARE, OCHA (2008)
Humanitarian Implications of Climate Change:Mapping Emerging Trends and Risk Hotspots

UNDP (2007/8) Human Development Report 2007/2008
Fighting climate change: Human solidarity in a divided World

Thematic Studies

Parry et al. (2004) - Effects of climate change on global food production, Global Environmental Change

UN-ISDR (2008) - Gender Perspectives: Integrating Disaster Risk Reduction into Climate Change Adaptation - 2008 Good Practices and Lessons Learned