Category: Current Affairs Regions

Posted on

Two Million Displaced by Drought in Horn of Africa

10 January 2023 – by Cosmo Sanderson

Over two million people have been uprooted in the Horn of Africa as the region suffers its worst drought for generations. 

UNICEF last month released the latest estimate of how many people have been internally displaced by the drought across Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia.

Other bleak statistics released by the children’s aid agency are that over 20 million children are threatened by severe hunger, thirst and disease – up from 10 million in July. 

Nearly two million children in those three countries are thought to need urgent treatment for severe acute malnutrition, which UNICEF says is the deadliest form of hunger. A further four million children are at risk of dropping out of school. 

This has been caused through a combination of the climate crisis, conflict, global inflation and grain shortages that continue to “devastate” the region, says UNICEF. 

“While collective and accelerated efforts have mitigated some of the worst impact of what had been feared, children in the Horn of Africa are still facing the most severe drought in more than two generations,” said Lieke van de Wiel, UNICEF deputy regional director for Eastern and Southern Africa. 

In a report published last month, the NASA Earth Observatory went further in saying that the Horn of Africa is experiencing the “longest and most severe drought on record”. 

To make matters even worse, UNICEF says the region is now facing an “unprecedented” fifth consecutive failed rainy season, with a poor outlook for the sixth as well. 

Last year, the International Organization for Migration launched a new project to provide emergency relief to those displaced by the crisis in Somalia. 

Elsewhere in Africa, including South Sudan and Nigeria, erratic weather conditions have led to devastating floods that have also resulted in mass displacement. 

The World Bank has previously predicted that there will be 85.7 million climate migrants in sub-Saharan Africa by 2050. 

Posted on

Historic Flooding Causing “Devastation” in South Sudan, says UN

Bentiu, the capital of South Sudan’s Unity State, has become an island surrounded by floodwaters

31 October 2022 – by Cosmo Sanderson

Devastating and historic flooding in South Sudan has affected almost one million people and transformed one city into an island amid rising waters, as the United Nations’ refugee agency pleads for international support.

Speaking in Geneva this month, UNHCR spokesperson Boris Cheshirkov said that while global attention is currently directed “elsewhere” – a possible reference to the ongoing war in Ukraine – South Sudan’s “protracted and chronically underfunded crisis needs urgent support.”

Two thirds of South Sudan is currently experiencing flooding after a fourth consecutive year of record-breaking rains fuelled by climate change, said Cheshirkov. Over 900,000 of its 11 million population are directly affected. 

“Waters have swept away homes and livestock, forced thousands to flee, and inundated large swathes of farmland, worsening an already dire food emergency,” he said. “Boreholes and latrines have been submerged, contaminating water sources and risking outbreaks of diseases.”

Bentiu, the capital of the country’s northern Unity State, has become an “island surrounded by floodwaters,” continued Cheshirkov. “All roads in and out are impassable and only boats and the airstrip serve as lifelines for humanitarian aid.”

Camps for displaced people are below the current water level. Inhabitants are “working around the clock” with pumps, buckets, excavators, and heavy machinery to keep the water at bay and prevent dikes that have been constructed from collapsing, he said.

South Sudan has received less than half of the US$215 million the UNHCR says it needs this year. An estimated 2.2 million people are displaced within the country as a result of the flooding and conflict that has plagued the world’s newest country, which declared independence in 2011. 

“The threat [is] of worse to come as the climate crisis accelerates,” said Cheshirkov. 

Beyond South Sudan, the UNHCR has warned of “surging needs” for more than 3.4 million displaced people following destructive flooding in Nigeria, Chad, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali and Cameroon. In the Horn of Africa, Somalia is meanwhile teetering on the precipice of famine following a historic drought that has displaced more than a million people. 

A recent report warned that Africa is receiving a fraction of the finance it needs to reduce emissions and adapt to global warming.

Image credit: UNHCR/Charlotte Hallqvist

Posted on

Flooding in Nigeria Causes Mass Displacement, Health Risks and Food Insecurity

29 October 2022 – by Darina Kalamova

Flooding is a prevalent natural disaster in Nigeria, but it is rarely as devastating as it has been in 2022. In fact, this year’s floods have been the worst ones in the last 12 years and so far they have caused the deaths of more than 600 people. 1.4 million people have been displaced and thousands of hectares of farmland have been submerged. People have lost their homes and livelihoods, and many are in need of shelter and food.

The crisis is further exacerbated by the fact that the country’s northern region is embroiled in a regional conflict. Thousands of Nigerians were already living in camps for displaced persons because of it and now those camps are being destroyed by the water. 

Authorities blame the tragedy on the hefty rainy season aggravated by climate change and the discharge of excess water from the Lagdo dam.  However, several other factors should also be taken into account, including the country’s land use plan, its disaster management, and the lack of investment in climate infrastructure. 

The government is calling on state and local government councils to increase their efforts and continue to evacuate people who live on floodplains as there is still a danger of further flooding. In fact, some Nigerian States will remain at risk until the end of November and some inland water reservoirs are expected to continue overflowing, endangering the communities living alongside the rivers Niger and Benue.

There are concerns about the spread of diseases due to the water contamination caused by flooding. In fact, an increase in cholera and other preventable diseases has already been reported. Several rice-producing states in northern and central Nigeria, where the conflict has already been threatening food production, are now also being affected by the floods. This is straining the country’s food stability and according to data from UNICEF, more than two million people are at risk of waterborne diseases and malnutrition. 

Posted on

New Project to Help Those Displaced by Somalia Crisis

27 October 2022 – by Cosmo Sanderson

As Somalia teeters on the edge of a famine that could cause a rate of child death not seen in half a century, a new project has been launched to provide emergency relief to those displaced by the crisis.  

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) announced on 18 October that a new US$20 million project had launched to tackle the pressing needs of 71,000 displaced and vulnerable people affected by the historic drought. 

Over a million people have been displaced in Somalia since January 2021, which marked the start of a drought now stretching across four failed rainy seasons. A failed fifth rainy season is thought to be likely, as is a rare formal declaration of famine. The crisis has been driven by global warming. 

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned that half a million children are at risk of dying from malnutrition. “Without greater action and investment, we are facing the death of children on a scale not seen in half a century,” said spokesperson James Elder. 

The IOM is partnering with the World Bank and the Somalian government on the new project, which will provide emergency relief and enhance abilities to recover and adapt through long-term housing solutions and infrastructure development.

“The project comes at a critical time as the most severe drought in four decades pushes millions of people further into poverty, starvation and displacement, with thousands at risk of eviction,” said Ewa Naqvi, IOM deputy chief of mission in Somalia.

Many Somalis that have left rural areas are living in informal settlements on the outskirts of cities where they face “fear and intimidation,” says the IOM, with a high risk of forced evictions. 

Ismail Abdirahman Sheikh Bashir of Somalia’s Ministry of Public Works, Reconstruction and Housing said the project would “urgently address the water, sanitation, shelter, health and nutritional needs of drought-affected families.”

Image credit: Flickr/Ivan Radic

Posted on

Hurricane Fiona Has Left Thousands Without Power One Month After Making Landfall on Puerto Rico

Hurricane as seen from space

13 October 2022 – By Ella Kiyomi Dobson

On Sunday, September 18th, Hurricane Fiona hit Puerto Rico. The island’s southwestern region was devastated by 140kmh (85mph) winds, with the rest experiencing severe flooding. Flash floods and torrential rain continued through Monday 19th, with as much as 30 inches of rain in some areas.

Approximately 3 million people were without power in the days following. One week after the storm, about half of the electrical consumers on the island were still without power. Two weeks after, about 100,000 electrical customers were still without power. As of Wednesday, October 12th, nearly a month later, there are still up to 40,000 people without power. In the southwest city of Cabo Rojo, people are still unsure when they will have power back in their homes. 

Frustrations are high amongst the residents with no power, a situation some Puerto Ricans experienced not long ago. Hurricane Maria in 2017 left parts of the island in the dark for a year, weakened the power grid, and some regions are still not fully recovered from the damage from 5 years ago. Another prolonged blackout is something most people do not have the time, energy, or resources to contend with. There has been some critical backlash against Puerto Rico’s governor, Pedro R. Pierluisi, and US-Canadian conglomerate LUMA Energy, who took over power transmission on the island in June 2021. Energy prices have soared in the past year, almost doubling, and is said to be one of the highest of any US territory or state.  

Aside from the immediate dangers of natural disasters, the long-term economic, social and political impacts pose a mounting threat. The 2017 hurricane showed that many Puerto Ricans struggled to recover immediately after an extreme weather event. If, as is predicted, these weather events become more common, the time for Puerto Ricans to re-establish following a storm will diminish. As these events begin to compound, there will be little choice but for residents to evacuate with less and less preparation. This cycle of an underprepared disaster response paired with a severe storm may well be underway, with the only hopes of long-term sustainability resting in comprehensive and preventative action by/for Puerto Ricans. 

Posted on

“Regularization”: Canada Called On To Give All Migrants Residency

boat beside dock

10 October 2022 – by Cosmo Sanderson

The Canadian government is facing demands to grant permanent residence to 1.7 million migrants living in the country in the interests of climate justice, after it offered fast track applications for people fleeing the war in Ukraine. 

The Migrant Rights Network (MRE), which says it is Canada’s largest migrant-led coalition, joined with other groups last month to demand that prime minister Justin Trudeau implement a “comprehensive regularization program.”

This programme would ensure permanent residence for 1.2 million migrant workers, students, refugees and families in Canada, says MRE, as well as 500,000 undocumented residents. 

Thousands of migrants and their supporters marched in cities across Canada on the 18th of September in support of the demand. 

Climate Action Network Canada (CAN-Rac), a body of more than 100 Canadian environmental groups, wrote to Trudeau and immigration minister Sean Fraser in August arguing that the “regularization” process is essential to climate justice. 

Climate change exacerbates inequalities between rich countries, such as Canada, that are responsible for most of the world’s emissions and the “poorest, already marginalized and racialized groups – who bear climate impacts first and hardest,” said CAN-Rac. 

It continued that the climate crisis causes displacement in a “myriad” of ways, including disasters, droughts and famines. “We urge you to seize this moment to address one of these profound injustices by extending permanent residence to all migrants, leaving no one behind.”

In May, Canada’s parliament passed a motion that the government should publicly release a plan to expand economic immigration pathways so workers at all skill levels can access permanent residency. 

CAN-Rac said in its letter to Trudeau and Fraser that they therefore currently have a “strong mandate and a unique opportunity to correct a deep injustice in Canadian society.”

Posted on

German Citizens Take Legal Action Against the National Government Over Air Pollution

white and blue clouds

4 October 2022 – by Darina Kalamova

A group of German citizens has launched legal action against the German government over polluted air.  They claim their right to breathe clean and healthy air has been violated and that Germany should tighten its air quality legislation. 

Air pollution is a big health threat as it is linked to long-term diseases, including cancer, heart problems and respiratory illnesses. In addition, experts are worried that air quality could get even worse this winter due to the looming energy crisis, especially if more people turn to resources such as coal and wood to heat their homes.

Furthermore, the claimants argue that while air pollution levels in Germany often comply with EU legislation, they are still four-five times higher than what the World Health Organization recommends in its 2021 guidelines for clean air. This means that even though cities are not considered polluted, people are still breathing dangerously dirty air.

The European Union has legally-binding air quality standards, but they haven’t changed since 2015.  The European Commission is currently working to revise the air quality guidelines and align them more closely with the WHO recommendations, but it might take a while until they become obligatory for the member-states.

The case comes after the Advocate General to the European Court of Justice, Juliane Kokott, said in May that it could be possible for EU citizens to claim compensation from their governments when their health has been affected by high levels of air pollution.

Despite the fact that the opinions of Advocate Generals are not legally binding, they are usually taken into account by the court. Therefore, if air pollution levels do not decrease in the near future, cases such as this one may become more common.

Posted on

UN Human Rights Committee Sides with Torres Strait Islanders

1 October 2022 – by Ottoline Mary

There has been an update on the case of the Torres Strait Islanders’ struggle for protection against the threat of climate-induced displacement. Already mentioned in an earlier Earth Refuge article, these low-lying lands, mainly populated by First Nations Australians, are facing a sea level rise which is double that of the global average. In addition to the direct damages caused by the floods themselves (such as infrastructure and crop destruction), the latter also deplete environmental resources such as edible fish, thereby jeopardising food security in the region.

Back in 2019, a group of local residents filed a complaint to the UN Human Rights Committee, denouncing the Australian government’s failure to adapt to climate change and to protect impacted communities (e.g., by upgrading seawalls). Last week, the UN Human Rights Committee finally issued a decision declaring that “Australia’s failure to adequately protect indigenous Torres Islanders against adverse impacts of climate change violated their rights to enjoy their culture and be free from arbitrary interferences with their private life, family, and home”. Consequently, the Committee has urged the Australian government to “compensate the indigenous Islanders for the harm suffered, engage in meaningful consultations with their communities to assess their needs, and take measures to continue to secure the communities’ safe existence on their respective islands”.

In this case, individuals successfully took the matter into their own hands to compensate for their government’s failure to take relevant climate action. This development is indicative of what appears to be a trend of change in the global political landscape, where civil society actors and even individuals are seizing the power that national systems fail to exert to protect their people.

Posted on

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.

Posted on

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.”