22 August 2008: A report commissioned by the UN Office for
the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and CARE International finds
that climate change greatly complicates, and could undermine, efforts to manage
the challenges presented by droughts, floods and cyclones. The study identifies
the most likely humanitarian implications of climate change for the next 20-30
year period.

The authors use Geographical Information Systems to map specific
hazards associated with climate change, place them in relation to factors
influencing vulnerability, and identify hotspots of high humanitarian risk
under changing climatic conditions. The authors state that the intensity,
frequency, duration and extent of weather-related hazards will increase,
although their location is unlikely to vary greatly, and identify affected
communities’ decreased resilience as an important threat. The study aims to
improve policy makers’ knowledge and understanding of the climate change challenge,
and ensure humanitarian actors’ response strategies adapt to the realities of
climate change. It notes, however, that the results of the study are indicative
due to the complexity of climate change science and measurements of human
vulnerability. The authors call on policy makers to increase the resilience of
populations in these climate change hotspots, and the aid community to become
more flexible in responding to new and increased disaster risks arising from
climate change. [The
Report]