Download Annex 5.7.2 Climate change

CARE International Position Paper
Humanitarian Implications of Climate Change
Climate change may represent the biggest humanitarian challenge the world has ever faced. The
intensity and frequency of events such as floods, droughts and cyclones are on the rise. In many parts of
the world, their range and duration are growing. The best scientific models predict these trends will
continue.
Current humanitarian funding is insufficient to meet today’s basic needs. Making matters worse, most of
it is spent on emergency response, which is a relatively inefficient way to utilize limited resources in
comparison to investing in disaster risk reduction. The stark challenge posed by climate change requires
that we do things differently. The humanitarian community must:
 Place greater emphasis on reducing people’s vulnerability to climate-related shocks and stresses
before they happen, and
 Make support to long-term development and enhanced livelihoods security part of a holistic response
to emergencies.
 Collaborate with the development community to ensure that development interventions consider the
impacts of climate change and integrate appropriate disaster risk reduction measures.
Key Messages
 The threat of climate-related hazards, such as droughts, floods and cyclones, is growing.
 Meanwhile, rising temperatures, erratic rainfall and other changing climatic conditions are eroding
people’s capacity to cope with and recover from these hazards when they hit.
 Therefore, it is essential for the international community to quickly make deep cuts in global
greenhouse gas emissions. The longer we wait for action in line with the science, the greater the longterm humanitarian costs will be. These costs may well exceed willingness or capacity to pay.
 Regardless of the extent to which emissions are reduced, there will be a short-term (i.e. next 20-30
years) rise in humanitarian risks.1
 There is an inherent justice issue around climate change – those who have contributed least to
causing the problem are suffering most from its consequences.
 The international community needs to increase its investment in disaster risk reduction – especially in
poor countries already experiencing an increase in extreme weather.
 Emergency response interventions must be linked to ongoing development and must focus on
livelihoods security, community resilience and development of local capacity.
 Disaster risk reduction is a fundamental element of climate change adaptation. Investment in climate
change adaptation is a critical component of the global response to impact of climate change.
 Development efforts must integrate climate change adaptation, including disaster risk reduction, to
reduce the vulnerability of the poor to climate-related shocks and stresses.
 Women are particularly vulnerable to natural hazards as a result of their role in the household and
limitations in access to information, resources and services. Therefore, efforts to reduce vulnerability
to disasters must include women’s empowerment.
Background
In 2007, the UN launched 16 flash appeals,2 the most ever launched in a single year. 3 With the
exception of an earthquake in Peru, all these appeals were launched in response to climate-related
disasters.
The Global Disaster Review 2007 reports “disaster occurrence, over the last 30 years, has increased far
faster than the number of deaths, which has remained relatively constant.” 4 This is good news.
However, the Review goes on to note an upsurge in the number of smaller disasters with relatively low
mortality rates. This is a problem because low body counts typically render these events, and their
devastating impact on livelihoods and development, invisible to the humanitarian community.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was established by the World Meteorological
Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to provide the best
CARE International Position Paper - Climate Change and Humanitarian Implications
June 2008
1
possible scientific counsel to the international community. It is composed of the world’s leading scientists
on climate change, and its impacts.5 The IPCC’s Fourth Assessment Report (4thAR), which was released
in 2007, predicts further increases in the frequency, intensity, extent and duration of flooding, drought,
storms, and heat waves. The 4thAR also notes the particular vulnerability of poor communities to
worsening hazards as a result of their limited adaptive capacity and dependence on climate-sensitive
resources for their livelihoods and basic needs (including water and food). 6
It has been estimated that for every dollar invested in disaster preparedness, seven dollars are saved in
disaster response7. However, time and time again, action by the global humanitarian community is “too
late, too brief, inappropriate and inadequate” 8. This results in a cycle of poverty and vulnerability to
disaster which is difficult to break. The predicted impacts of climate change will exacerbate this
downward spiral by increasing the frequency, intensity and extent of extreme weather events. A
fundamental overhaul of the global humanitarian response system is needed to deal with this
unprecedented challenge.
Current Issues and Debates
 Assessments that trigger early warning systems define vulnerability too narrowly. They currently focus
on food production and availability of water and ignore other key indicators (such as rising food prices)
that would provide earlier – and more robust – insights into the need to intervene.
 As well, governments are sometimes reluctant to declare an emergency, leading to delays in
responding to growing crises. In other cases, when an emergency is declared, the consequences are
exaggerated, leading to confusion in planning the response.
 Food aid, which comprises a large proportion of humanitarian assistance, has been criticized as a
“quick fix” which does not address the underlying causes of the emergency i.e. vulnerabilities. Further,
food aid can exacerbate the situation by distorting local markets, potentially leaving the poor and
farmers in a worse situation than before the emergency. Donor governments’ use of domestic food
surpluses to supply food aid, rather than selecting aid delivery mechanisms based on the specific
needs and priorities of recipient countries, is inefficient and can be counterproductive. 9
 Few humanitarian interventions address the sustainability of livelihoods post-emergency. When
disasters hit, the world often responds with generous food aid. However little or no funding is provided
for mitigation and recovery initiatives such as livestock protection or support for agricultural recovery.
This undermines ongoing development efforts and leaves people with few options to go forward once
emergency aid flows end.
 Small and medium disasters (silent emergencies) have a significant impact on livelihoods but receive
less attention and aid than high profile, large-scale events. There is a correlation between the amount
of media attention received by an emergency and the amount of aid allocated. 10
 Despite a 1970 commitment by OECD-DAC members to increase development assistance to 0.7% of
Gross National Income, most DAC members are lagging far behind this target. More development aid,
delivered more effectively, could substantially reduce people’s vulnerability to disasters.
 Developed country governments are also failing to deliver on commitments to provide financial support
for developing countries to adapt to climate change.
 While there is widespread consensus that climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction
should be mainstreamed into development policies, programs and projects, there are few practical
tools available and limited experience to draw on to make this happen.
CARE, Climate Change and Disasters
CARE responds to disasters by providing relief and longer-term community rehabilitation, including: food
aid and food security, temporary shelter, clean water, sanitation services, medical care, family planning
and reproductive health services. CARE joins with other organizations to call for an overhaul of the
humanitarian response system and greater investment/emphasis on disaster risk reduction and livelihood
security.
The imperative to help the world’s most vulnerable people adapt to climate change lies at the heart of
CARE’s strategic response to climate change. 11 CARE’s approach to adaptation focuses on: disaster risk
reduction; making livelihoods more resilient to climate-related shocks and stresses; developing local
organizations’ capacity to address climate change; and social mobilization/advocacy to address the
underlying causes of vulnerability.
CARE International Position Paper - Climate Change and Humanitarian Implications
June 2008
2
Important Concepts and Terms
Climate
Climate in a narrow sense is usually defined as the ‘average weather’, or more rigorously, as the
statistical description in terms of the mean and variability of relevant quantities over a period of time
ranging from months to thousands or millions of years. These quantities are most often surface variables
such as temperature, precipitation, and wind. The classical period of time is 30 years, as defined by the
World Meteorological Organization (WMO)12.
Climate Change
Climate change refers to any change in climate over time, whether due to natural variability or as a result
of human activity. This usage differs from that in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC), which defines ‘climate change’ as: ‘a change of climate which is attributed directly
or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere and which is in
addition to natural climate variability observed over comparable time periods’ 13.
Vulnerability
The degree to which people and systems are susceptible to, or unable cope with, adverse effects of
climate change, including climate variability and extremes. Vulnerability is a function of the character,
magnitude, and rate of climate variation to which a system is exposed, its sensitivity, and its adaptive
capacity14.
Adaptive Capacity
The ability of a system to adjust to climate change (including climate variability and extremes) to
moderate potential damages, to take advantage of opportunities, or to cope with the consequences 15.
Adaptive capacity is primarily determined by access to and control over various forms of capital - natural,
human, social, physical, political and financial.
Disaster Risk Reduction
The systematic development and implementation of policies, strategies, and practices to minimize
vulnerabilities and disaster risks throughout a society, to avoid (prevention) or limit (mitigation and
preparedness) adverse impact of hazards within the broad contexts of sustainable development 16.
Adaptation to Climate Change
Adaptation is adjustment in natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climatic stimuli
or their effects, which moderates harm or exploits beneficial opportunities. Various types of adaptation
can be distinguished, including anticipatory and reactive adaptation, private and public adaptation, and
autonomous and planned adaptation17. From a CARE perspective, adaptation is a holistic process which
involves supporting resilient livelihoods, reducing risk of disasters, building local capacity, and addressing
the underlying causes of vulnerability.
Intelligent Recovery
Decision and actions taken after a disaster with a view to restoring the living conditions of the stricken
community, while integrating necessary disaster risk reduction measures and strengthening capacities to
adjust and build resilience to face future risks.
CARE International Position Paper - Climate Change and Humanitarian Implications
June 2008
3
References
1
Humanitarian Impacts of Climate Change: Mapping emerging trends and risk hotspots, Volume 1: Summary for
decision-makers. Dr. Charles Ehrhart, Dr Andrew Thow, Mark de Blois, and Professor Alyson Warhurst, June 2008.
2
UN
Office
for
the
Coordination
of
Humanitarian
Affairs
(OCHA)
Website:
http://ochaonline.un.org/humanitarianappeal/webpage.asp?Site=2007&Lang=en. Accessed March 2008.
3 Climate Alarm: Disasters increase as climate change bites. Oxfam Briefing Paper 108, Oxfam International,
November 2007
4
Disaster Risk Reduction: Global Review 2007, UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction:
http://www.preventionweb.net/english/professional/publications/v.php?id=1130. Accessed March 2008.
5 IPCC Website: http://www.ipcc.ch/about/index.htm. Accessed March 2008.
6 Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability.
Working Group II Contribution to the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report, April 2007.
7 Simms, A. Up in Smoke: Africa. Working Group on Climate Change and Development. New Economics
Foundation, London, 2005.
8 Living on the edge of emergency: an agenda for change. CARE International UK, October 2006.
9 Living on the edge of emergency: an agenda for change. CARE International UK, October 2006.
10 Causing Hunger: an overview of the food crisis in Africa. Oxfam Briefing Paper 91, July 2006.
11
For more information about CARE’s response to climate change, visit our website at
http://wwww.careclimatechange.org
12 IPCC, 2007: Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the
Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Annex I., M.L. Parry, O.F. Canziani,
J.P. Palutikof, P.J. van der Linden and C.E. Hanson, Eds., Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 976pp.
13 IPCC, 2007: Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the
Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Annex I., M.L. Parry, O.F. Canziani,
J.P. Palutikof, P.J. van der Linden and C.E. Hanson, Eds., Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 976pp .
14 IPCC, 2007: Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the
Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Annex I., M.L. Parry, O.F. Canziani,
J.P. Palutikof, P.J. van der Linden and C.E. Hanson, Eds., Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 976pp.
15 IPCC, 2007: Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the
Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Annex I., M.L. Parry, O.F. Canziani,
J.P. Palutikof, P.J. van der Linden and C.E. Hanson, Eds., Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 976pp.
16
United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN/ISDR).
17 IPCC, 2007: Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the
Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Annex I., M.L. Parry, O.F. Canziani,
J.P. Palutikof, P.J. van der Linden and C.E. Hanson, Eds., Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 976pp.
CARE International Position Paper - Climate Change and Humanitarian Implications
June 2008
4