The United Nations warns that climate disasters are occurring weekly, with disaster reports urging developing countries to prepare for significant impacts. Climate disasters are happening at a weekly rate, yet they rarely attract international attention, and developing countries urgently need to prepare for the impacts, the UN warns. While cyclones like Idai that struck Mozambique and Kenneth, and the drought in India, have made international headlines, most “low-impact events” causing casualties, displacement, and damage are occurring much faster than expected. “This isn’t about the future, it’s about the present,” said Mami Mizutori, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction. This means that addressing the climate crisis is no longer a long-term issue, but something that must be addressed now. She stated, “People must talk more about resilience and endurance.” Climate-related disasters are estimated to cost $520 billion annually, but funding for infrastructure to combat the effects of global warming accounts for only 3%, or $2.7 trillion over the next 20 years. Mizutori stated, "This isn't a huge amount of money (in terms of infrastructure spending), but investors haven't done enough. Tolerance needs to become a commodity people will buy." This means that new infrastructure standards need to be normalized, such as housing, road and rail systems, factories, and electricity and water supply networks, so that they are less vulnerable to flooding, droughts, hurricanes, and extreme weather. Until now, much of the work on the climate crisis has focused on "mitigation"—the rhetoric of reducing greenhouse gas emissions—not to be confused with mitigating the impacts of the climate crisis. Adaptation to climate impacts has been far ahead, partly because advocates and scientists have focused for years on the problem of the false complacency that people can adapt to these impacts without emissions reductions, and also because emissions reductions are easily measurable, making it difficult to focus on adaptation or increasing tolerance. Mizutori believes that the time for these debates has run out. “We talk about a climate emergency and a climate crisis, but if we can’t address this issue (adaptation impacts), we won’t survive,” she told reporters. “We need to examine the risks of not investing in tolerance.” Smaller disasters can be prevented if people receive early warnings of severe weather, better infrastructure such as flood protection or drought-resistant water pipes, and governments are more aware of which areas are vulnerable. She stated that these are not just problems for developing countries, such as the recent wildfires in the United States and the heatwaves in Europe. Wealthy countries also face challenges in strengthening their infrastructure and ways to protect people from disasters. “Nature-based solutions” should be a priority, such as mangrove swamps, forests, and wetlands, which can form natural flood barriers, Mizutori said. A further question is how to protect people in slums or informal housing. The poor, women, children, the elderly, the disabled, the homeless, and those living in informal housing without basic infrastructure are the most vulnerable. She said building standards and codes must also be updated and properly enforced to address the climate crisis. One of the government issues Mizutori pointed out is that while responsibility for the climate crisis and greenhouse gas emissions is typically assigned to one department, such as the economy, environment, or energy sector, responsibility for infrastructure and people's protection lies with other government departments. She stated, "We need to examine these issues more holistically." Source: The Guardian (July 7, 2019) Compiled by: PIDC
