Climate Change: On the Front Line

On the eve of the UN Copenhagen conference, the urgent challenge for humanitarian aid as natural disasters increase As the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen (COP15) approaches, this report brings testimony and analysis from the frontline of climate change. From Africa, South-East Asia and the Caribbean come stories of how lives are being affected, and what the challenge means for humanitarian aid. More, and worse, natural disasters : This will be the future – but it’s already the reality today. Whatever agreement is reached in Copenhagen, the impact of emissions already produced will linger for years to come. Climate Change is proving the greatest humanitarian challenge of our times. But how to prevent disasters becoming full-scale crises ? Aid workers from the European Commission Humanitarian Aid department – the world’s biggest donor of Humanitarian aid – argue that tackling climate change will demand a fundamental shift in planning to help communities reduce the risks – no longer just to prepare emergency aid once disasters have happened, but to make themselves less exposed, less vulnerable to crises. This report shows the impact of climate change around the world, with powerful personal stories from Haiti and the Dominican Republic, from Malawi, Burkina Faso and Vietnam. From villagers living through desert drought, to shanty-dwellers on flooding riverbanks, to a typhoon-wrecked school, this report shows how vulnerable communities are living on the edge. But also the response : remarkable grassroots initiatives – street theatre and touring troupes, song, street art, and vital emergency exercises – initiated by communities around the world to meet the challenge. Distributed by Tubemogul.