South Asia Disaster Report Special Copenhagen Issue A Hot-Spot About to Become Hotter A South Asian perspective on Climate Change and increased Disaster Risk Please consider the environment before printing this document South Asia Disaster Report Special Copenhagen Issue 1 Author: Tharuka Dissanaike Editors: Vishaka Hidellage, Buddika Hapuarachchi, Ramona Miranda, Jon Ensor and Daniel Vorbach Cover layout and graphics: Krishan Jayatunge www.practicalaction.org http://climatevision.janathakshan.net 2 South Asia Disaster Report Special Copenhagen Issue Contents How Global Warming Will Affect an Already Volatile Disaster Climate in South Asia 4 Climate Change: Amplifying Disaster Risk 6 New Threats and Increased Exposure 7 Poverty and Growth 8 Communities at the Frontlines 10 Adaptation: Who Will Foot the Bill? 13 Mitigation: Obligation or Threat to Human Development? 15 A Selection of Technologies for Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction 16 South Asia: Urgent Response and Long Term Promise 17 For Regional Policy Makers - A Time to Rethink 18 About Us 19 Abbreviations CDM: Clean Development Mechanism GAR: Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction of UNISDR GEF: Global Environmental Facility GLOF: Glacial Lake Outburst Floods IPCC: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change LDCF: Least Developed Country Fund NAPA: National Adaptation Programme of Action SADR: South Asia Disaster Report SIDS: Small Island Developing State UNFCCC: United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change UNISDR: United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction South Asia Disaster Report Special Copenhagen Issue 3 How Global Warming Will Affect an Already Volatile Disaster Climate in South Asia Natural hazards are no strangers to a majority of frequency and intensity of tropical storms. South Asians. The region is periodically affl icted Sadly the impacts of such climatic variability by inundated deltas, parched plains, fl ooded will be felt most in developing countries. South urban sprawl, severe droughts, cyclone-hit crops Asia, already highly susceptible to natural and eroding beaches and riverbanks. South Asia disasters, is primed to suffer disproportionately experiences every conceivable weather related as the atmosphere heats up. Climate and disaster. The region is also a melting pot of weather-related disasters already affect poverty, wars, accidents and other natural and croplands, livestock, homes and assets, food man-made hazards that leave the lives, homes security and access to services, transport and livelihoods of many of its two billion people and communication. It reduces economic regularly at risk. Climate change is now adding opportunity and increases poverty. Poor women signifi cant additional risks to this already volatile and men bear the brunt of natural disasters and disaster situation. The signs are everywhere stand at the frontline of climate change. - in the retreating Himalayan glaciers, the sinking coral islands of the Maldives and Women in poor communities are disproportionately drought-devastated farming lands across the vulnerable to climate change. Limited access Indian sub-continent. Climate change, born of to resources and decision-making processes warming land, sea and atmosphere, is primed prevents many women in the region to use their to exacerbate current trends in fl oods, droughts knowledge and experience to respond effectively and cyclones and introduce new, hitherto to the impacts of climate change. Increasing unknown challenges to the development paths scarcity of water and reductions in biomass and of every country in the region. 1 crops puts further pressure on women, as securing water, food and energy for cooking and heating are largely deemed to be women’s responsibilities. South Asia recorded 128 natural disaster Past experience has also shown that poor women events between 2006 and 2008. 93% of tend to be disproportionately affected by natural these were of hydro-meteorological origin. disasters. Climate change adaptation needs to 86 incidences of fl ooding were reported, be gender responsive to address these issues with nearly 8000 lives lost. India had by far and recognise women’s expertise in adaptation, the highest number of disaster events, but mitigation and disaster risk reduction strategies. fl ooding in Bangladesh claimed most lives. South Asians have contributed comparatively South Asia Disaster Report 20081 little to the total amount of climate change causing greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere. The main responsibility for climate In 2007, the Inter-Governmental Panel on change falls on the industrialised North where Climate Change confi rmed in its Fourth oil and coal-driven economies and luxury living Assessment Report that geographic distribution, has led to very high per capita emissions. frequency and intensity of regular hazards Poverty and low human development has such as tropical storms, fl oods and droughts kept down consumption in South Asia. The have already signifi cantly increased as a result region is also home to a signifi cant amount of of climate change. Changes are evident in carbon sinks in its forests. South Asians, in the amount, intensity, frequency and type of countries with negligible carbon footprints, have precipitation, which increases the area affected unwittingly given up their carbon space to the by drought, increases number of fl oods and the over-consuming developed world. Rich countries in the North owe the world a huge carbon debt 1 Duryog Nivaran & Practical Action, South Asia Disaster Report to pay for the impacts of their unmitigated 2008, Available at: www.duryognivaran.org emissions for many decades. 4 South Asia Disaster Report Special Copenhagen Issue Although current per capita emission rates remain South Asia can lead the way and demonstrate to low, South Asian economies are growing rapidly, the world how positive action could strengthen following the same development recipe that community resilience, improve human created the problem of climate change in the fi rst development and support communities to place. This could well mean that future overall adapt to future climatic uncertainty. The region emissions from these countries, especially India, represents a mixture of political and economic could rise signifi cantly. Climate change mitigation scenarios as it included least developed, middle is therefore a challenge for South Asia as well income and fast industrialising countries like as for the developed North. The region needs to India. Due to its geographic diversity, South ensure that over half a billion poor people achieve Asia is affected by all the problems, risks satisfactory levels of human development without and challenges of dealing with an uncertain choking up an already fragile atmosphere with climatic future. If South Asian countries are ever-increasing emissions. adequately supported to demonstrate climate change adaptation, low-carbon development and For communities already facing the brunt of innovative technology to suit local conditions, these changes, adaptation to climate change the region could be an example to the rest of is no longer purely of academic interest. In the world. Instead of following in the polluting countries like the Maldives global climate footsteps of the North, South Asia has the change mitigation is a matter of survival. opportunity to rethink its development path Adaptation options for low lying islands to rising and consumption patterns and question the sea levels are extremely limited. Other countries dominant measure of GDP growth as the only need to assign greater priority within their indicator of success. The region could pilot national planning processes to dealing with the policies that favour environmentally sustainable underlying conditions that place certain people lifestyles, equitable distribution of the essentials at greater risk of natural disasters. Climate for long and fulfi lling lives and, ultimately, the variability and its affect on natural hazards leads well being and happiness of its women and to recognisable risks that policy makers must men.2 On the other hand, if South Asia fails take seriously in their long-term development to adapt and adopt an alternate development plans. If these escalating risks are ignored in trajectory, it might spell doom for a world trying national planning, much of the investment in to deal with climate change. poverty alleviation and human development to date could be washed away in the stormy waters of climate change. South Asia is a region where most countries have already spelt out their adaptation needs and their capacity to absorb technology to support these. Many countries in the region are also taking a serious view of reducing disaster risk and some countries including Bangladesh, India and the Maldives have assigned the subject to important frontline ministries. South Asia is well placed to move to an environmentally sustainable development path. The recipe for sustainable living and low consumption that is now advocated in the North as a new solution for climate change mitigation has been part of the cultural and religious 2 Bhutan and Sri Lanka have begun to defi ne growth and norms of many communities in the region. An development in alternate terms. Bhutan has developed a measurement for gross national happiness while Sri alternative, low-carbon development path is Lanka offers a different perspective of human development therefore not alien to the region. that takes natural resources and their conservation into consideration.