Children suffer as world adjusts to climate change

Savethechildren.org: Anticipating that natural disasters will soon pose even greater threats to children and their families due to global climate change, Save the Children issued a new report today urging the international community to invest now in projects that will reduce the devastating impact of future disasters.

The agency's latest report, In the Face of Disaster, recommends that governments, international organizations and aid agencies change their tactics and do more to prepare for natural disasters rather than just respond to them.

"The consensus on climate change is clear," the report noted. "It is already happening and is likely to lead to an increase in the frequency and intensity of natural disasters. It will be people in the poorest countries, especially children in those countries, who will bear the brunt of these disasters, despite having played no role in causing them."

…"In the face of this evidence, the international community has an obligation to help communities in developing countries prepare for these disasters so they will have less impact," said Ian Rodgers, an expert in emergency preparedness for Save the Children. "Clearly no one can predict exactly when the next disaster may strike, but we can do a lot to access vulnerable communities and strengthen their capacity to respond, especially in areas that have experience disasters in the past."

…How can communities better prepare for disaster? According to the report, a number of projects can mitigate impacts of natural events, including planting mangrove trees along coastal areas, building disaster-resistant public buildings, setting up early warning systems and making sure members of communities know evacuation routes. These disaster risk-reduction projects should involve everyone, including families living in disaster-prone villages, community leaders, local and national governments and international organizations, according to the report….