IFRC calls on Pacific Leaders to take action on climate change and disasters

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) have called on Pacific Leaders for collective action to reduce the impact of climate change and disasters.

The Federation says the escalating impact from climate hazards will destroy decades of development progress in the Pacific if there is not a major shift from disaster response to anticipatory action.

They say Pacific island states make up the majority of countries that suffer the highest relative losses – between 1 percent and 9 percent of their GDP – from the impact of natural hazards.

IFRC’s Pacific Head of Delegation, Katie Greenwood, says we have a lot of humanitarian challenges in the Pacific which we need to address together as a region and not only as the Red Cross in each country.

She says climate change and disasters are all constantly affecting our region in some shape or form.

Greenwood says we need to ensure resources, financing, and knowledge to address the challenges of climate change are available to be able to better anticipate how we can prepare and respond.

She adds to effectively manage the risks of disasters, we need to focus on investing in disaster response as well as resilience building actions ahead of disasters which also supports risk informed development.

The Pacific Head of Delegation says as a result, we can minimise the human and economic losses that can set back a country’s development progress.

She also says climate change is exacerbating underlying vulnerabilities which will continue to degrade livelihoods and resilience as the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as cyclones and floods are set to increase in the coming decades.

Greenwood adds severe events such as droughts, sea level rise, king tides and saltwater intrusion, the Red Cross must lead, with their communities across the Pacific, on anticipation and preparedness for the changing nature of disaster impact.

She says more must be done in terms of anticipatory action, adaptation, and preparedness, to save lives and livelihoods.