Climate Change Driving Natural Disasters

Climate Change Driving Natural Disasters



December 2, 2008 - Ministers from more than 
40 Asia-Pacific countries gathered in Kuala Lumpur today seeking ways to 
reduce the social and financial impact of natural disasters in the region 
- many of them linked to the rising global temperature. The ministers are 
developing regional cooperation systems for disaster preparedness and 
early warning systems. 
The Asia-Pacific ministers are meeting as half-way across the world in 
Poznan, Poland some 11,000 participants in the annual UN climate 
conference are negotiating an agreement to limit greenhouse gas emissions 
that will kick in when the current Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012. 
Most natural disasters today are linked to climate change, says John 
Holmes, UN emergency relief coordinator and head of the UN Office for the 
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA. 
OCHA today launched a campaign to raise awareness of the humanitarian 
implications of climate change, calling for improved disaster preparedness 
and response measures in countries that suffer most from extreme weather 
events. 
"This campaign highlights our huge concerns about the humanitarian impact 
of climate change," said Holmes. "Any credible vision of the future must 
recognize that humanitarian needs are increasing and that climate change 
is the main driver. We are already seeing its effects, in terms of the 
numbers of people affected and in the rising cost of response." 
"Improving our ability to respond effectively to increasing and 
increasingly extreme climatic events is now a priority part of our 
business. This calls for a systemic shift of attention, resources and 
expertise to improve disaster preparedness," said Holmes. 
From 1988 through 2007, over 75 percent of all disaster events were 
climate-related and accounted for 45 percent of deaths and 80 percent of 
the economic losses caused by natural hazards. 
The most vulnerable are impoverished people living in risk-prone hotspot 
countries, where the risks from extreme climatic events overlap with human 
vulnerability 
In 2007, OCHA issued an unprecedented 15 funding appeals for sudden 
natural disasters, five more than the previous annual record - all but one 
due to climatic events. 
"So welcome to the 'new normal' of extreme weather. Climate change may 
well exacerbate chronic hunger and malnutrition across much of the 
developing world," wrote Holmes in the current issue of "The Economist" 
magazine. "And it will almost certainly precipitate battles over 
resources." 

Data from the Centre of Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters shows 
that this year alone, more than 230,000 people were killed and over 47 
million affected by two major disasters in Asia - the earthquake in China 
and Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar. 
The Asia-Pacific region is not only one of the most populous in the world 
but also, by far, the most affected by disasters in terms of human and 
economic impacts, according to the UN International Strategy for Disaster 
Reduction, UNISDR. 
Salvano Briceno, director of the UNISDR secretariat, views this 
ministerial conference as a forum to make disaster risk reduction a 
priority at the local level and to mobilize more resources for 
implementing disaster risk reduction policies, which are vital to 
development and poverty reduction. 
"This is a unique opportunity to identify gaps and bring governments and 
civil society together to fill them," he said. 
Every dollar invested in disaster preparedness not only saves lives, but 
can also save between $4 and $7 in humanitarian relief and reconstruction 
costs after a disaster happens, head of the UN Economic and Social 
Commission for Asia and the Pacific told the ministers. "With this level 
of returns, these investments may be some of the best bargains available," 
said Noeleen Heyzer. 
While some view climate change as a future threat, humanitarian relief 
workers are seeing its impact now. 
In the last 20 years, the number of recorded disasters has doubled from 
about 200 to more than 400 per year. Disasters caused by floods are more 
frequent - up from about 50 in 1985 to more than 200 in 2005 - and floods 
damage larger areas than they did 20 years ago. 

In a new report, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization warned today 
that disasters linked to climate change such as cyclones, flash floods and 
droughts are likely to have a serious impact on food production in Pacific 
island nations, and called for urgent measures to adapt to expected 
losses. 
The report, "Climate Change and Food Security in Pacific Island 
Countries," finds that development efforts in the islands have been 
constrained by disasters. 
As a result, these countries appear to be in a "constant mode of 
recovery," says the report, published jointly by FAO, the Secretariat of 
the Pacific Regional Environment Programme and the University of the South 
Pacific. 
"Climate projections for the Pacific island countries are bleak and 
indicate reduced food security, especially for households," said Alexander 
Mueller, FAO assistant director-general. 
"It is critical to build resilience of food systems to avoid enormous 
future economic losses in agriculture, fisheries and forestry," he warned. 
"Countries will have to assess how vulnerable their food systems are and 
how they can adapt agriculture, forestry and fisheries to future 
climate-related disasters. There is a need to act urgently." 
While Pacific island countries have already committed to a number of 
global and regional agreements to tackle climate change, the report 
highlights the need for a more systematic approach, with national plans 
involving governments, the private sector and civil society. 
Mueller said, "Integrating climate change adaptation into national 
policies, strategies, programs and budgets related to agriculture, 
forestry and fisheries should become a major priority."





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