Category: Asia

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6 Million Displaced from Earthquake in Turkey and Syria

a car is parked in front of a destroyed building

12 April 2023 – by Willy Phillips

Update on the February earthquake in Turkey and Syria 

In Turkey and Syria, earthquake rescue efforts shift to housing crisis as countless call refugee camps home.

On February 6th, 2023, two historic earthquakes struck Syria and Turkey. In the past 65 days, refugee camps and impromptu shelters have filled the streets. The first 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit near the Turkish city of Gaziantep, followed a few hours later by a second 7.5 magnitude event centered in the Elbistan district, a mere 80 miles away. Two weeks later, a 6.4 magnitude event hit the city of Antakya, a Turkish town nestled between the Mediterranean Sea and the Syrian border.

Since February, the attitude surrounding the disaster has shifted from search and rescue to providing essential resources for those impacted, particularly concerning the housing crisis. The British Red Cross estimates this disaster affected over 26 million people, displaced 6 million, killed 50,000, and injured 100,000.

In addition to the unfathomable number of casualties, many buildings crumbled atop the seismic activity. Along with the stresses of war on infrastructure, poor building design is cited as the primary reason for such extensive damage. 160,000 buildings, holding over 500,000 apartment units, collapsed in on themselves in whites known as a ‘pancake collapse‘. Nearly 200 builders, contractors, and building owners have been arrested on suspicion of ignoring updated and more costly building codes during construction. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has promised weary citizens accountability as concerns over infrastructure stability and longevity continue to rise.

International aid provision has been substantial, as 94 countries have contributed finances, supplies, and on-ground assistance. While over 140,000 volunteers have assisted thus far, impacted areas are still stricken with displacement and a lack of essential resources. Aid efforts now focus on housing, as an estimated 1.5 million people need shelter. Many have taken to the streets, establishing themselves in impromptu shelters while waiting for rebuilding efforts to begin. In the immediate future, however, refugee camps will become home for those unable to reside elsewhere. 

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Glacial Lake Flooding Threatens Millions Worldwide 

30 March 2023 – by Cosmo Sanderson

Fifteen million people worldwide are threatened by devastating flooding from glacial lakes, new research has found. 

The study, led by a team at Newcastle University, calls for “urgent” action to help avert future deaths from such floods. 

Deaths can be caused either directly by the floods, which are “highly destructive and can arrive with little prior warning,” or by damage to property, infrastructure and agricultural land. 

More than half of the globally exposed population live in just four countries: India, Pakistan, Peru and China. 

Much like other natural disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes, floods from glacial lakes represent not just a threat to life but a major displacement risk for millions worldwide.

Last year, a glacial lake in Pakistan burst its banks and wiped out a bridge downstream, as well as damaging nearby homes and two powerplants. 

Melting Himalayan glaciers have also been identified as having fuelled last year’s devastating floods in Pakistan, which left a third of the country underwater. Those floods reportedly displaced over 32 million people. 

This study was the first to try and map where people are most at risk from “glacial lake outburst floods,” as they are known.

Since 1990, the study says that the number and size of glacial lakes has grown rapidly along with downstream population. This is because glaciers are shrinking due to global warming. 

The lakes, which form in hollowed out glacier beds or on top of existing glaciers, can also trigger “positive feedbacks” causing further ice loss. 

The study found that 15 million people live within 50 kilometres of a glacial lake, placing them at risk from flooding. In Asia, a region where there is likely to be little warning of flooding or certainty as to how powerful floods will be, one million people live within one kilometre of such lakes. 

Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region is most vulnerable to such flooding. However the study also said that a lack of research on flood risk in the Andes “urgently” requires attention, with the second- and third-most dangerous basins found in Peru and Bolivia. 

The study said improvements to early warning systems such as time lapse cameras for flooding are “urgently needed,” alongside other measures such as evacuation drills. 

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Pakistan After the Floods: Health Risks and Weakened Economy

28 September 2022 – Darina Kalamova

In 2022, Pakistan suffered unprecedented floods, brought on by a severe heatwave, followed by heavier-than-normal rains. According to recent data, the record rainfall was five times the 30-year average.

Homes, roads, railways, livestock, and crops were lost and thousands of schools and healthcare facilities were destroyed.  Southern Sindh, the most affected region, is still in a critical situation, with many areas still submerged.

International Response 

In September 2022 the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, visited Pakistan. During a press conference, he called for global financial support for the country and tougher action on climate change.

Pakistan is experiencing the worst effects of climate change although it is responsible for only around 0.6% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. Guterres added that the international community should acknowledge this and especially the countries with a bigger contribution to climate change.

Health Risks 

The UN and humanitarian partners have delivered more than one million life-saving items, including food, clean water and healthcare essentials. In September, the UN’s Central Emergency Relief Fund announced a $7 million disbursement and the UN launched a $160 million appeal to help Pakistan deal with the floods. 

According to Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority, the relief missions are slow, and more than half a million people are still living in makeshift camps. This is increasing the risk of diseases and health professionals are already reporting surges in dengue, malaria and severe gastric infections. For example, waterborne diseases have pushed daily patient numbers to  90,000 in Sindh as access to health services, especially in rural areas, is still very limited. 

Economy

Agriculture makes up nearly a fourth of Pakistan’s gross domestic product. At least four million hectares of agricultural land have been damaged and key sources of income such as cotton and rice production are in danger of collapse.

Experts are concerned that with nearly half the country’s crops washed away, Pakistan is on the verge of a severe food crisis.  This is very likely to have international implications as well. The country is the fourth-largest global rice exporter and any dramatic drop in exports will negatively affect the global food market.

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Activists File First-ever Climate Lawsuit Against Russia

Snow storm in the Red Square, Moscow (Credit: Flickr/Vladimir Varfolomeev)

24 September 2022 – by Cosmo Sanderson

A group of activists have filed the first-ever climate lawsuit against Russia’s government, demanding urgent action to cut greenhouse gas emissions in a country that is warming twice as fast as the global average. 

The lawsuit was filed in Russia’s supreme court by plaintiffs including Ekozashita or ‘Eco-defence’ and the Moscow Helsinki Group, founded in the 1970s to expose human rights abuses in the Soviet Union.

In the 13 September filing seen by Reuters, the group says that “while temperatures around the world have risen by about 1°C compared to pre-industrial levels over the past 50 years, in Russia they have risen by 2.5°C and this ratio will continue or even worsen in the future.”

The group says the lawsuit is the first of its kind to be accepted by a Russian court.

Russia has pledged to cut its greenhouse gas emissions to 70% of their 1990 level by 2030. By 2050, it says it will cut emissions to 20% of the 1990 level. 

But the group says the only way Russia can meet its obligations under the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement is to reduce its emissions to 31% of 1990 levels by 2030; and to 5% of 1990 levels by 2050. 

Failure to meet those more ambitious targets could seriously imperil a country that has two thirds of its territory in the Arctic North, the group argues.

Those targets will only be made tougher by Russia’s war with Ukraine, which has aside from its immediate environmental destruction also prompted a reported global “gold rush” for new fossil fuel infrastructure. 

Eighteen activists are also signatories to the lawsuit and the group told The Guardian that it faces “considerable risks” in taking a public stand in a country known for brutal crackdowns against dissent – especially following the invasion of Ukraine. 

However, by taking the government to court, the group hopes that it will “save the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.”

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UNHCR Urges Response to “Biblical Proportion” Floods in Pakistan

9 September 2022 – by Ottoline Mary

Since the beginning of the 2022 rainy season, “Biblical proportion” floods in Pakistan have killed 1300 people, injured 12,500, and provoked the displacement of 634,000. Over one third of the country is currently under water, and one in seven Pakistanis have been affected.

Due to geographical parameters, Pakistan has always been particularly vulnerable to floods. However, the frequency and scope of extreme weather events are exacerbated by global warming. In the present case, three months of incessant monsoon rain are not only destroying infrastructure but also jeopardising food security through crop damage – which is contributing to aggravate the country’s rampant inflation and “further entrenching Pakistan’s compounding economic and political crises”.

Last week, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) launched a global humanitarian campaign aiming to mitigate the consequences of this disaster. The organisation has mounted an airlift operation to supply the most heavily impacted regions with tents, sleeping mats, kitchen sets, and sheets of waterproof canvas.

Funds are also being mobilised to support the Pakistani government in its assistance to households, including through an online donation portal.

The situation could further deteriorate in weeks to come, as the Pakistan Meteorological Department predicts increased rainfall in the coming month.

A global and tailored response is vital to repair damages and curtail further destruction. In addition to the principle of solidarity, there is an ethical case for Global North countries to commit to alleviate climate-induced hazards in the Global South, given that the former are historically responsible for most greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, the lack of technology and funds to build flood-resistant infrastructure can also be attributed to historical biases in favour of today’s most powerful nations.

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A New Study Predicts Severe Droughts in the Indus Basin

31 August 2022 – by Ottoline Mary

The Indus River is the 19th longest in the world. It originates in the Tibetan Himalayas, and flows through northern India and Pakistan into the Arabian Sea.

Since the development of the famous Indus Valley Civilisation in the 4th millennium BC, local livelihoods have relied heavily on its terrestrial water supply – that is, “the summation of all water on the land surface and in the subsurface”, including ice, river water, and soil moisture. For this reason, the Tibetan Plateau is often referred to as a major “global water tower” – which partially explains why the region is the object of so many geopolitical tensions.  

But a recent article from the New Indian Express shares the results of a recent satellite-based assessment of water changes in the region, quantifying the effects of global warming-induced glacier retreat, lake expansion, and below-ground water loss.

Without a significant increase in climate policy, the study projects an 80% water loss in the Indus basin by 2050. Such decline in freshwater availability over the Tibetan Plateau would entail a loss of livelihoods for 2 billion residents of India, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.

If we fail to meaningfully reduce the global carbon emissions currently generated by the burning of fossil fuels, we can expect colossal forced displacement flows in the region 25 years from now.

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Can Climate-Resilient Seeds Prevent Nepal’s Imminent Food Crisis?

green plant on persons hand

12 August 2022 – by Ottoline Mary

Climate change is compromising food security throughout the Global South. The scale and frequency of heatwaves, fires, floods, and landslides are increasing, causing a significant drop in crop production. In addition to heightening the risk of famines, this jeopardises the livelihoods of farmers, as well as large-scale economies.

In Nepal, food production cycles are planned around the alternance of dry and rainy seasons. Global warming dysregulates and exacerbates these natural weather phenomena, to the point of undermining crop and vegetable production. On the one hand, excessive rainfall is flooding farmlands and aggravating soil erosion. On the other hand, droughts are hampering cultures that require lots of water, such as rice paddies. As a result, farmers become unable to meet the national demand for food, and the country has to increase its fresh vegetable imports – which takes a toll on the rest of the economy. Moreover, crop failure directly threatens the means of subsistence of over 3.2 million Nepalese families.

One of the solutions envisaged to sustain the country’s agricultural productivity is the adoption of genetically modified climate-resilient seeds, capable of tolerating extreme climatic stresses. Not only can they endure both submergence and drought, but they also contain more nutrients than regular seeds, and do not require excess maintenance or resources.

Practical considerations remain to be addressed, such as the raising of awareness among farmers who may be reluctant to adopt new types of seeds. Furthermore, we could wonder how those seeds would impact ecosystems, and whether their implementation would entrance Nepal’s dependency on foreign companies for its economic survival.

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Bangladesh Develops Resilient Cities to Accommodate Climate Migrants

3 August 2022 – by Ottoline Mary

As a low-lying country centred around a large delta plain, the geography of Bangladesh makes it particularly vulnerable to extreme weather events, which are exacerbated by global warming. The Climate Reality Project estimates that by 2050, one in every seven people in the country will have been displaced by climate-related disasters. Already, more than ten million Bangladeshis have lost their livelihoods to floods, and have been forced to relocate to other regions.

Most of them seek refuge in Dhaka, hoping for job opportunities. But the capital has become so overpopulated that the government is now encouraging the economic development of alternative destinations for climate migrants. This strategy, labelled “transformative adaptation”, is based on the work of Professor Saleemul Huq, director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (Dhaka). The goal is to “divert people to smaller urban centres with the capacity to expand and, crucially, jobs to sustain a rapidly growing workforce”.

Amongst them, one city stands out: the South-Western seaport of Mongla, where, in recent years, tens of thousands of dollars have been invested in climate-resilient infrastructure and in export processing industries. In addition, the government monitors the social inclusion of the city’s new residents – including in the field of education, through a dialogue with local schools and universities.

Mongla is currently celebrated for its uniqueness, but is designed as a prototype for future climate-resilient cities in Bangladesh and beyond. This type of initiative brings hope for forcibly displaced populations throughout the Global South, yet the situation remains extremely precarious, and the fight for climate justice is more urgent than ever.

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Once-in-a-Century Heatwaves are Now Ten Times More Likely in South Asia

Balochistan Road in Pakistan

2 August 2022 – by Subhiksha Manoj

According to a recent study on historical weather data from the World Weather Attribution group, countries in South Asia (especially India and Pakistan) are now 30 times more likely to experience prolonged heatwaves than in previous years.

What’s more, if average global temperatures increase by 2°C (3.6°F) in the following years, South Asian countries are more likely to experience these heatwaves at least once every five years.

Using computer simulations to compare data on average temperatures between March and April over the past several decades, the team of scientists concluded that these increased risks can be attributed to climate change.

“This is a sign of things to come,” said Arpita Mondal, a climate scientist at the Indian Institute of Technology in Mumbai who was involved in the study.

The Current Impact of Heatwaves

In recent months, some parts of India and Pakistan have seen temperatures around 45°C (113°F) – the highest levels ever recorded in the region. While governments attempt to grapple with mitigating and adapting to the widespread and unpredictable impact of climate change, the average person struggles to carry out day-to-day activities.

In India, daily wage laborers and agricultural workers bear the brunt of climate change as they, naturally, spend more time outdoors. To prepare for the undoubtable influx of people affected by heat-related illnesses, India’s state governments are advising local hospitals to stock up on ice packs, oral rehydration salts, and cooling appliances – although the availability and accessibility of this equipment is another question.

Meanwhile, in Pakistan, the recent flooding caused by a glacier burst has reinforced the need to establish an early warning system for natural disasters that can help to minimize infrastructural damage and deaths.

Both Pakistan and India have recorded at least a combined 90 heat-related deaths in recent weeks, however, this number is more than likely to be higher – especially considering the shortcomings of the death registration systems in the two countries.

As of now, climate change experts are continuing to urge countries in South Asia to spread further awareness on heatwaves, while also encouraging governments to work towards establishing sustainable climate mitigation and adaptation mechanisms.

Did you enjoy reading this article? Be sure to take a look at our piece on how the intensification of heatwaves in the Middle East and North Africa.

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Global Warming Threatens Historical Everest Base Camp

Hikers at a base camp at Mount Everest

28 July 2022 – by Ottoline Mary

Everest’s South Base Camp, located on the Nepalese side of the highest mountain in the world, has served as the starting point for climbers for 70 years.

Sadly, this historical landmark is due to be abandoned in years to come, as the result of safety concerns stemming from the effects of global warming. The current settlement is established on a glacier located at the foot of a 300 meter-high icefall, and the accelerated glacial melting is exacerbating the risks experienced during mountaineering expeditions. For example, climbers have been reporting an increasing number of crevasses appearing around their tents. As a result, it has been decided that Base Camp will be relocated at a lower altitude.

This phenomenon is aggravated by the climbers themselves. The surge in human activity since the boom of commercial climbing in the 1990s (rising from an average of 180 summits per year in the 1980s to 5,561 in the 2010s) is further threatening the mountain’s fragile ecosystem. On a typical day at Base Camp, an average of 4000 litres of urine are produced, in addition to large amounts of kerosene and gas being burned for cooking and heating.

Therefore, the continued commercial exploitation of Mount Everest has ethical implications. On the one hand, it contributes to environmental destruction – which, in the long run, might undermine residents’ livelihoods. But on the other hand, the local economy has become highly dependent on the tourism industry – as shown by the crisis following the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020. This type of dilemma illustrates the complex overlapping of natural phenomena and human activity, and the urgent need to reconcile them in the light of the global climate emergency.