SHARM EL SHEIKH, Egypt
Climate change affects fragile communities most, Director-General of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Robert Mardini, told Anadolu Agency.
"We see through our teams that those affected by armed conflicts are the most vulnerable and least prepared to adapt to the effects of climate change due to the destruction of infrastructure, deteriorating services and the worsening economic and environmental situation of local communities,” Mardini said in an exclusive interview.
During the UN climate summit COP27, currently underway in Egypt’s seaside city of Sharm el-Sheikh, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) launched a platform to confront climate change and raise the capabilities of vulnerable communities to confront climate change.
The platform aims to support proactive action and create better climate adaptation, by applying nature-based climate solutions and strengthening safety nets and social protection.
Mardini said local populations often report dramatic climate changes in their communities.
“The daily life of these communities is getting harsher as a result of violence, conflicts and climatic changes. These people are powerless in the face of climate change."
The ICRC director-general stressed that climate change “forces people to reshape their lives.”
"We heard this from cattle herders in Mali and the Central African Republic. They describe how they lost their livestock and were forced to change their way of life,” he said.
"In Central Africa, we heard sad stories from people who were forced to leave their homes on the Ubangi River and lost their properties due to the floods, which have become more frequent and more intense,” Mardini added.
Lack of attention
The ICRC director-general lamented that the ordeals facing the local communities due to climate change figure low on the COP27 agenda.
“These communities are still among the most neglected groups with regard to climate action and the financing allocated for it,” he said.
Mardini said the main reason for the ICRC’s attendance in COP27 is to "draw attention to the humanitarian consequences of climate risks and environmental degradation on fragile communities and to call for providing the necessary assistance to the affected countries."
“The combination of climate risks and conflicts threatens the lives and health of people in vulnerable communities and exacerbates food and water insecurity,” he warned.
Mardini called on humanitarian organizations like the ICRC to change the way they work on the ground.
“We realize that these challenges require long-term preventive measures to enhance people's ability to adapt to climate risks,” he said.
The ICRC director-general explained that the IFRC launched a platform to confront climate change and raise the capacities of vulnerable communities to confront climate change.
“Through this platform, we launched an initiative to support 500 million people by raising at least one billion Swiss francs (around $1 billion) over five years,” he added.
He cited that the ICRC is providing help to farmers in several African countries “to cope with the increasing fluctuations in rainy seasons and periods of water scarcity by supporting irrigation systems and providing forage seeds and storage.”
Call for solidarity
The ICRC director-general called for the adoption of an "integrated and innovative approach to adapt to climate change and help vulnerable societies to overcome climate risks.”
"The international responses that can help communities adapt to climate risks often exceed what humanitarian actors can provide," Mardini said.
"We are also working to stimulate collective climate action through initiatives such as the Climate and Environment Charter for humanitarian organizations, which has been signed by more than 300 organizations around the world, and has the support of many countries such as Switzerland, the US and Norway."
In this regard, Mardini explained that the ICRC is cooperating with key stakeholders, local communities, researchers and actors in the field of climate change.
“We need to call for concrete action on climate change, explore what practices and solutions work for fragile communities and how to catalyze climate finance,” he added.
Mardini underlined the need to come together to address the risks facing fragile societies.
“In order to ensure that aid reaches difficult places that suffer from conflicts and violence, we must learn from others and support each other,” he added.
The ICRC director-general went on to call on humanitarian organizations to play an active role in reducing carbon emissions and greenhouse gases.
"The ICRC aims to lead by example by committing to reduce greenhouse gases by at least 50 percent by 2030 compared to the 2016 levels," Mardini said.
"We must work collectively to fulfill our commitment to support vulnerable groups affected by climate change, so that they adapt to the changes that have occurred in their lives, and we will not allow many people to be excluded from this issue."
*Ikram Imane Kouachi contributed to this report.
