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More than a hundred million people will be forced to flee, unless the international community reduces CO2 emissions significantly, according to the new ICPP-report commissioned by the UN. DanChurchAid calls for immediate action.
Hunger, drought, floods and conflicts. Millions upon millions of people will flee from violent weather. Those are the consequences of climate change according to Members of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (ICPP).
The report is raising serious concern at DanChurchAid, where prevention and rebuilding in the world’s most vulnerable areas are the focus – especially in areas where natural disasters and climate change has already taken its toll on the local population.
“This is an extremely dire report. We have a ticking bomb in our hands, because climate change mainly will affect people in parts of the world that is already exposed to poverty and conflict. Our task is increasing every day, and we need the politicians to help us solve it, not just talk about it,” says Humanitarian Director of DanChurchAid, Lisa Henry.
Technology is the weapon against complete disaster
Lisa Henry emphasizes that technology plays a crucial part in preventive work as well as relief work. Experience from the work of DanChurchAid shows that direct contact as provided by mobile phones, Facebook and GPS-apps creates the basis of a far more effective effort. That knowledge needs to be spread to a broader audience in order to secure more people, but there is still a long way to go.
Prevention and investments in relief and preventive technology is not enough. The Western part of the world especially carries the responsibility for reducing CO2 emissions drastically in order to prevent global disaster, according to Senior Advocacy Advisor of DanChurchAid, Mattias Söderberg:
“It is important to understand that climate change has this massive effect because of the lifestyle we lead. We are far past the point where changing to energy saving bulbs is enough. We have to change our entire society and make everyday life far more sustainable than it is today. This is absolutely essential in order to secure our future and our survival, quite frankly,” Mattias Söderberg says.