Climate change[/B] will exacerbate humanitarian crises around the world in 2023 and add to the problems caused by armed conflict and economic turmoil, according to a report by the non-governmental organisation International Rescue Committee (IRC).
The New York-based NGO, headed by British former politician David Miliband, highlighted that the number of people in need of humanitarian aid has soared in the last decade, approaching 339.2 million, up from 81 million in 2014.
Climate change is among the key factors exacerbating humanitarian emergencies, the IRC pointed out, despite the fact that the 20 countries on the NGO's list of most-at-risk states, such as Haiti and Afghanistan, account for just 2% of global carbon emissions.
"2022 showed that the role of climate change in exacerbating global humanitarian crises is undeniable," the NGO's Emergency Watchlist 2023 report noted, citing in particular the long rainy seasons that "caused catastrophic food insecurity in Somalia and Ethiopia" and killed thousands of people in Pakistan.
The IRC also noted the need to make "investments to prevent climate change and mitigate" its effects.
Meanwhile, food insecurity is already widespread due to conflict, but also the economic crisis caused by Russia's war in Ukraine and the covid-19 pandemic. In addition, $27 billion needed to fund humanitarian needs is missing.
"Donors are failing to respond" to the needs, the report stressed. "As a result, crisis-affected communities are failing to access the services they need to survive, recover and rebuild."
The report also highlighted that the number of people forced to flee their homes rose to more than 100 million in 2022, up from 60 million in 2014.
Source: APE-MPA
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