Localized humanitarian action at the forefront of the climate crisis

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Author(s)
Burson, B.
Publication language
English
Pages
60pp
Date published
22 Nov 2021
Type
Research, reports and studies
Keywords
Local capacity, Environment & climate

This report contains case studies of 11 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in these countries: Australia, Fiji, Germany, Honduras, Iraq, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Samoa, Tuvalu and Yemen. It highlights their role in preventing, adapting to and responding to the adverse impacts of climate-related displacement. It complements other reports on human mobility and displacement in the context of disasters and climate change produced by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). These 11 cases studies show that the climate crisis is already happening now. Communities across the world are already experiencing the devastating humanitarian impacts of climate-related displacement. These impacts are being experienced due to sea level rise, drought, extreme heat, floods and storms. It is also clear that the most vulnerable and the most marginalized people are being hit the hardest. This is vividly illustrated by the case study of the Tuvalu Red Cross Society. People living in low-lying small island states in the Pacific such as Tuvalu are often mentioned in discussions on the long-term impacts of climate change. Such countries may be rendered uninhabitable – if not entirely submerged – by the end of the century without a rapid reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in the coming decades. This underscores the urgency to enhance mitigation efforts. However, the case study of the Tuvalu Red Cross Society illustrates the need to also focus on the here and now – including the immediate drought conditions in the country.