Climate change is causing human suffering all over the world,due to rising sea-levels, extreme weather events, water andfood shortages, and disease.
The World Health Organization estimated that in 2000 climatechange was causing
150,000 deaths worldwide
4
– from malaria,malnutrition, diarrhoea and flooding. This conservative estimate isequivalent to a 9/11 attack every week.
'Natural' disasters are increasing in frequency and severity.
5
Sincethe mid-1970s,
storms of the force of Hurricane Katrina havealmost doubled
.
6
An estimated
90% of all those killed
– and
98%
of thoseaffected – by natural disasters live in
Asia
and
Africa
. Developingcountries are most at risk because they lack the resources andcapacity to prevent or mitigate the worst effects.
5
Between 1996 and 2005, disasters caused
$667 billion
in directlosses
to people worldwide. Losses were
20 times greater indeveloping countries
.
5
Rising world food prices caused in part by climate change andexpanded biofuel production led to
food riots and protests inmore than 50 countries
between January 2007 and July 2008.
7
The decade of 1998-2007 was the warmest on record. The
top 11 warmest years
all occurred in the past
13 years
.
2
This warming is being caused by human activity, primarilythe
burning of fossil fuels
.
In order to avoid a catastrophic rise of
6
o
C
by the end of thecentury, global emissions need to have peaked by 2015 andreduce by at least
80% by 2050
.
AUSTRALASIA
In Canberra wildfires killed 4 in January 2003.
Since 2003, Australia has been undergoingits worst drought on record, with many citiesfacing severe water shortages and crops andfarms affected.
NORTH AMERICA
In 2005 Hurricane Katrinahit the US Gulf Coast causing1,836 deaths.
CARIBBEAN
In April 2008, a week of protests and riots in Haiti overrising food prices left at least fivepeople dead and 200 injured.
LATIN AMERICA
In October 2005 Hurricane Stanhit Guatemala, Mexico, El Salvador,Nicaragua and Costa Rica, causingmore than 1,500 deaths.
AFRICA
Floods in Mozambiquein February/March 2000killed several thousands.
In September 2007torrential rain triggeredflash floods across Africa,affecting over a millionpeople in 22 countries. The heavy rains destroyedthousands of acres of land and prompted anoutbreak of cholera, whichkilled at least 68 people.
ARCTIC
The thawing of the Arctic permafrost is affecting thetraditional way of life of its indigenous people, makinghunting and travelling difficult and dangerous.
EUROPE
The 2003 heatwave killed approximately 35,000 peoplefrom nine countries.
In summer 2007, Britain suffered widespread floodingfollowing one of the wettest months on record. It caused$4 billion worth of damage and prompted the biggestrescue effort in peacetime Britain.
PACIFIC ISLANDS
The low-lying islandof Tuvalu has alreadyevacuated 3,000 of itsinhabitants to NewZealand.
The 2,500 residents of the Carteret Islands arebeing forced to relocateto nearby Bougainville astheir island disappearsunder the waves.
ASIA
In India a record 944 mm of rainfall in Mumbai in July 2005claimed over 1,000 lives.
Cyclone Nargis ripped acrossBurma in May 2008 killing anestimated 150,000 and severelyaffecting 2.4 million.
CLIMATE JUSTICE
THE FACTS
It's the poorest of the poor in the world, and thisincludes poor people even in prosperous societies, whoare going to be the worst hit.
1
Rajendra Pachauri
, Chair, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
CLIMATE CHANGE ISHAPPENING NOWWHO IS BEING AFFECTED?
GLOBAL GREENHOUSEGAS EMISSIONS BY SECTOR
3
Forestry17.4%Industry19.4%Transport13.1%Waste andwastewater2.8%Residential andcommercial buildings 7.9%Energysupply25.9%Agriculture13.5%
NEW INTERNATIONALIST JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2009
G M B AKASH
S A T A P O R N T H O N G M A / G R E E N P E A C E
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