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One month ago today the Global Humanitarian Forum published the ‘Human Impact Report: Climate Change – The Anatomy of a Silent Crisis’ The report has received shamefully little attention.
This is the first report to focus on the human impact of climate change. The report calculates that more than 300 million people are seriously affected by climate change at a total economic cost of $125 billion per year.
The report estimates that climate change today accounts for over 300,000 deaths throughout the world each year, the equivalent of an Indian Ocean Tsunami every single year. By 2030, the annual death toll from climate change will reach half a million people a year.
In launching the report a month ago Kofi Annan said
"Climate change is a silent human crisis. Yet it is the greatest emerging humanitarian challenge of our time. Already today, it causes suffering to hundreds of millions of people most of whom are not even aware that they are victims of climate change. We need an international agreement to contain climate change and reduce its widespread suffering."
This report and the Global Humanity Forum website provide a voice for the those already suffering the ravages of global warming - this is not some distant and indeterminate threat. It is hear now, killing and impoverishing people.
This is man-made crisis.
As Barbara Stocking, chief executive of Oxfam GB and Global Humanitarian Forum Board Member said at its launch
“Climate change is a human crisis which threatens to overwhelm the humanitarian system and turn back the clock on development. It is also a gross injustice - poor people in developing countries bear over 90% of the burden - through death, disease, destitution and financial loss - yet are least responsible for creating the problem. Despite this, funding from rich countries to help the poor and vulnerable adapt to climate change is not even 1 percent of what is needed. This glaring injustice must be addressed at Copenhagen in December"
Read the report, tell others about it - hear the voice of the victims.
