Climate Change and the Red Cross Red Crescent

Climate change & the Red Cross Red Crescent

  Fleur Monasso, Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre Photo: Nasa Photo: Netherlands Red Cross Photo: Netherlands Red Cross

  

Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre

The Climate Centre supports the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and its partners in reducing the impacts of climate change and extreme weather events on vulnerable people.

  (based on IC 1999, 2003, 2007, S2020)

Setup of the Climate Centre

• • Foundation, with board composed of IFRC and NLRC

  (to be expanded with a few more NSs)

• • Small team, hosted by NLRC, based around the world

• Strong network, within RC Movement, and in international climate policy, practice and science
• Special role for “junior scholars”

Areas of work

  1. Capacity building and operational support

  2. Mobilization of resources

  

3. Humanitarian diplomacy: int’l and nat’l climate policy

  4. Communication/awareness raising

  5. Analysis

  6. New developments

  What do we know about climate change?

  IPCC: AR4 (2007) and SREX (2012)

  

A changing climate leads to changes in extreme

weather and climate events

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Climate models also project changes in sea level rise,

shifting (rainy) seasons and melting glaciers

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  Pakistan floods, 2010 6 million left homeless

Increasing exposure of people and assets has been

the major cause of changes in disaster losses

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  From 1970-2008, over 95% of natural-disaster-related deaths occurred in developing countries

  Fatalities are higher in developing countries

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Increase in weather-related disasters

   Globally, weather-related disasters doubled over the past two decades

   Climate change will to continue – putting increasing demand on humanitarian organisations like the RC/RC Movement

  Disaster trends _{400 rs a s te} 300 _{200 e r o f} is _{b d 100 N u} m ‘90 ‘91 ‘92 ‘93 ‘94 ‘95 ‘96 ‘97 ‘98 ‘99 ‘00 ‘01 ‘02 ‘03 ‘04 ‘05 ‘06 _{physical geo-}

_{insect infestations meteorological}

_{epidemics, hydro- Source: CRED}

What does climate change mean for Pakistan?

  More extreme weather events, sea-level rise, human health, glacier melt off, glacier lake outburst floods

  

Figure: Growth of glacial lake along Hinarchi Glacier over a period of 3 years. Chemical

analysis of samples taken from dirty ice surface showed significant proportion of black carbon in addition to moraine debris which might have caused accelerated melting

  […] commitments were made to address

  climate change in the following ways:

• raise awareness on climate ch
• raise awareness on climate change
• provide humanitarian assistance
• improve capacity to respond
• decrease vulnerability of communities most strongly affected
• integrate climate risk management into policies and plans
• mobilise human and financial resources, giving priority to actions for the most vulnerable
>provide humanitarian assistance
• improve capacity to respond
• decrease vulnerability of communities

  most strongly affected

• integrate climate risk management into

  policies and plans

• mobilise human and financial resources, giving priority to actions for the most

  vulnerable

At the RCRC International Conference 2007 – ‘Together for Humanity’

  International conference 2007

The Red Cross and Red Crescent commitments

  Photo: IFRC

  Commitments were made to address climate change in the following ways:

  Geneva, November 2007 International Conference

  Adaptation: adjusting and preparing for change

  Strategy 2020 “We also contribute to mitigating the progression of climate change through advocacy and social mobilization to promote sustainable community development that optimizes communities’ carbon footprints”

  Strategy 2020 “Our climate change adaptation work is through scaling up disaster risk reduction measures and strengthening traditional methods of coping with disasters that are relevant in particular environmental contexts”

  Mitigation: tackling the causes of climate change

  ‘Mitigation’ and ‘adaptation’ Photo: IFRC

  Changing patterns affect our work:

   Disaster Management

   Food Security

   Health

   Water and Sanitation Photo: Danish Red Cross

  Photo: Jakob Dall / Danish Red Cross Photo: Olivier Matthys/IFRC

  There are strategies that can help manage disaster risk now and also help improve people’s livelihoods and well-being

  

The most effective strategies offer development benefits in the relatively near

₂₆ term and reduce vulnerability over the longer term

Red Cross Red Crescent perspective

• Risk reduction (and preparedness) : invest in

  community resilience before disasters happen

  : prepare for more

• Response

  but also smarter response ₂₆ operations

Red Cross Red Crescent response

• Making better use of climate information on different timescales for early action
• Invest in policy dialogues
• Action: climate-smart DRR
• Awareness Good example practices within the Red Cross Red Crescent!

  Photo: IFRC Thank you!