Poor countries are disproportionately affected by natural hazards, owing to their intrinsically greater vulnerability to hazards and comparatively low capacities for risk reduction measures, while richer countries tend to sustain large economic costs. Over the period 1991-2005, developing and least…
Nigeria is experiencing increasing incidence of disease, declining agricultural productivity, increasing number of heatwaves, unreliable or erratic weather patterns, flooding, declining rainfall in already desert-prone areas in the north causing increasing desertification, decreasing food production in central regions, and destruction…
The European Court of Human Rights recently clarified these obligations when it had to address the question as to whether and when deaths caused by a man-made or natural disaster can amount to a human rights violation by the state,…
It is now clear that humanitarian preparedness and response to extreme weather events and other changes are a small but extremely important emerging component of the climate change adaptation debate. Two trends are of particular humanitarian concern. First, climate change…
What does climate change mean for potential returnees to, for example, South Sudan – a land from which many had fled several decades ago? Will people who have lived in camps for the intervening years be able to resume a…
Climate change appears to be taking place at a rate that outstrips many worst-case predictions. This has implications in terms of human costs that are difficult to fathom. There is mounting evidence that climate-related disaster events are having an impact…
Prevention and mitigation must be priorities for action but, with global warming already a reality, there are some impacts for which adaptation is the only available and appropriate response. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change stresses the importance of addressing…
Firstly, we are in desperate need of a better understanding of the size and the characteristics of this issue. We need data to help us plan effectively. We have hit an analytical stone wall in terms of understanding what the…
Adaptation focuses on reducing (poor people’s) vulnerability and thereby preventing both displacement and conflicts over scarce resources. Developing countries are especially vulnerable to the consequences of climate change, particularly where their livelihoods are directly dependent on climate and weather conditions.…
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)[1], sea-level rise is expected to threaten vital infrastructure and structures supporting the livelihood of many Pacific island communities. By the middle of the 21st century, climate change is expected to reduce…