Human Wrongs Watch
The head of the United Nations office dealing with disaster risk mitigation has on 4 April 2015 underlined her concerns about the future development of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the face of extreme weather events.
.
.
“Climate change combined with poverty and exposed infrastructure and housing, will lead to a significant increase in economic losses due to increased wind damage and sea level rise,” said Margareta Wahlström, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Disaster Risk Reduction and head of the UN’s Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR).*
“It is remarkable that in the two weeks since the World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, both the Republic of Vanuatu and the Federated States of Micronesia have been forced to declare a state of emergency,” she said. “Two separate Category 5 cyclones which have caused several deaths, population displacement and widespread destruction.”
Wahlström pointed out that many millions of people across the Philippines were also facing the threat of Typhoon Maysak this weekend.
“The Pacific is a constant reminder to the rest of the world of what is at stake this year,” she said, referring to the international agreements on climate and a new global development agenda, which are under discussion this year and which aim to complement the framework on disaster risk reduction agreed last month in Sendai.
“For many small island states, expected future losses are not just disproportionately high, they pose an existential threat,” Wahlström stressed. “Unless disaster risk is reduced these countries will struggle to meet the development needs of their people.” (*Source: UN).
Read also:
Climate Change ‘Threatens Self-determination’ of Citizens in Island States
Tiny Though Some May Be, Islands Play a “Huge Role” in Sustaining Life on the Planet
‘2015 Pivotal for Finalizing Universal Climate Change Agreement’
‘Never before have the risks of climate change been so obvious and the impacts so visible’
‘Climate Change Threatens Irreversible and Dangerous Impacts’
What Is Known and What Is Not Known about Impacts of Climate Change – Report
UN Summit: Tackling Climate Change Requires “All Hands on Deck”
Climate Summit: Extreme Weather Hits Asia, Europe… a Further Indication of the “New Normal”?
Beating Climate Change, Either Lead or Get Out of the Way
No ‘Plan B’ for Climate Action as There Is No ‘Planet B’
Economic Growth Possible Even While Tackling Climate Change — Report
‘We Are Running Out of Time’, Experts Warn as Climate Change Debate Heats Up
Climate Change Impacting Entire Planet, Raising Risk of Hunger, Floods, Conflict – UN Report
Impact of Climate Change Could Reverse Decades of Development in Africa ‘Majestic’
Greenland Provides First-hand Look at Impacts of Human-induced Climate Change
Bangladesh: the Crippling Cost of Climate Change Adaptation
Looming Problems: Not Enough Energy; Too Much of Climate Change
Clean Energy, Water Strategies to Halt ‘Runaway’ Climate Change – Experts
The ‘Future We Want’, Nowhere to Be Found in Rio+20
Demand for Life’s Essentials: 50% More Food, 40% More Energy and… 35% More Water
Food Inequality Equation: 1.5 Billion Obese; 925 Million Hungry
Leave a comment