Published on 6 December 2024
So what does a world at +2°C mean for international aid and development? With this question in mind, Groupe URD, in partnership with Humanitarian Alternatives, organised a conference on 4 June 2024 bringing together around fifty participants (non-governmental organisations, funding bodies, local authorities and scientists): a good opportunity to take stock of the challenges that actors in the field will have to face in the years to come.
Temperatures reaching unprecedented highs in India, massive fires in Canada, repeated flooding in France’s Nord-Pas-de-Calais region, deadly mudslides in Afghanistan… The planet is getting warmer, the number of climate disasters is on the increase and set to get worse (an 800% increase in humanitarian funding needs for extreme weather events over the past twenty years, according to Oxfam[1]https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/800-increase-un-appeal-needs-extreme-weather-related-emergencies-over-last-20-years). As always – and increasingly so – the people who are already highly vulnerable are on the front line: while some 200 million people have already suffered the consequences of natural disasters, 3.6 billion are currently living in areas considered highly susceptible to climate change. In the field, the effects of this phenomenon are also being felt by aid and development actors “who are already stretched to the limit and increasingly short of funds,” to quote Jérôme Faucet, research, training and evaluation officer and “adaptation” specialist at Groupe URD, and one of the dozen or so speakers who took to the podium. According to Faucet, “to take this domino effect into account, we shall have to learn to act differently, to change faster and constantly, whilst potentially intervening in new regions, including France. The question, therefore, is whether or not this is possible and, above all, how it can be achieved.” These very questions were addressed by participants at the event organised by Groupe URD in partnership with Humanitarian Alternatives and held at the Académie du Climat in Paris on 4 June 2024. The idea behind it was to bring people together, take the time to discuss, plan, share knowledge, and share good practices that have already been or are about to be tried out.
The need for a new perspective
A pioneer in this field, the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement has been developing new approaches and tools for climate change adaptation since the 2010s; these include emergency preparation, anticipatory actions,[2]Anticipatory action refers to actions taken to reduce the humanitarian impacts of a forecast hazard before it occurs, or before its most acute effects are felt. The decision to act is based on a … Continue reading and financing programmes based on forecasts that integrate climate trends. In a similar vein, the climate resilience marker developed by CARE, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has evolved to take better account of the vagaries of climate change. A simplified approach, awareness of the effects, and a more explicit consideration of these issues in project evaluation: this NGO now uses a rating system which offers more robust analysis criteria and indicators to assess the degree to which climate resilience is being integrated in the field. This vision is increasingly necessary, given that a report[3]United Nations Environment Programme, “Adaptation Gap Report 2023,” 2 November 2023, https://www.unep.org/resources/adaptation-gap-report-2023 by the United Nations Environment Programme has pointed the finger at the climate adaptation gap in terms of the planning, targeting and financing of investments. The question of “maladaptation” is also being increasingly raised. This means that many projects launched to reduce vulnerability to climate change are having a negative impact on other systems, sectors or social groups. “It is now illogical to consider a project that merely offers solutions at a given point in time without thinking about long-term needs or consequences. It’s a bit like installing a water storage tank without taking the major seasonal variations into account. Admittedly, some good practices are emerging, but this is still much too anecdotal,” continues Jérôme Faucet.
Key data
According to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, nearly 110 million people throughout the world needed humanitarian aid because of global warming or climate disasters in 2018. This figure could reach 150 million by 2030, and 200 million by 2050.
The expected average global warming of between +2 and +2.5°C will render several densely populated regions uninhabitable by 2070 (the Mediterranean rim, India, the Indochinese peninsula, northern Australia, parts of Mexico, the United States and the Amazon basin).
In 2100, several areas (Amazon rainforest, tropical Africa, Southeast Asia, India etc.) will experience potentially life-threatening heat on more than 300 days every year.
Unite more to act better
Another key and seemingly essential approach is cooperation between the various stakeholders. Humanitarian and environmental actors must work with local civil society organisations to find beneficial solutions. Calls for joint projects, the adoption of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS), the use of social sciences and local knowledge etc. – for greater effectiveness, inclusion is essential. “This implies that not only NGOs, but donors and funding bodies too, must take more risks,” says Jérôme Faucet, stressing the importance of making climate funding more accessible and equitable – notably by integrating gender-equality considerations into their mechanisms – whilst prioritising conflict-affected regions and marginalised communities. More than just technical and programme adaptations, climate change is reshaping how international aid is delivered and is, more than ever, on the threshold of an unavoidable turning point as all-encompassing as it is radical. The time for transformation has definitely come.
“Moving towards radical transformation”
Three questions for Véronique de Geoffroy, Executive Director of Groupe URD
How is climate change affecting international aid and development?
It is a fact: the number of natural disasters and climate-related population displacements is exploding. This raises questions about response capacities and methods. I think that the aid and development sector has reached saturation point. Transformation rather than evolution is required so that we don’t get bogged down in the single issue of relief. Humanitarian aid must find its rightful place in an environment where there are many actors, some of whom have far greater expertise in climate change adaptation. What about the effects on the organisation? It is now increasingly imperative to anticipate and prepare actions more effectively, which is particularly difficult when we are caught up in the day-to-day business of responding to crises. In other words, we need to take a step back. All this is possible if we surround ourselves with the right partners… The challenges vary from one territory to another, and there is always expertise on-site that we can rely on.
What are the best practices you would like to see implemented?
Again, the answer will vary according to the intervention area. That said, we are seeing a great deal of experimentation in agroecology, risk analysis and community preparation, and food production inspired by ancestral methods, the idea being to diversify the risks to be more resilient in the face of the hazards. These are just some of the options. In more general terms, I firmly believe that it is in the interests of humanitarians to work with those involved in development, ecosystem conservation and the environment. These bridges are still to be built. A form of advocacy for a more committed climate justice is also needed. And even though some actors in the field think that this is not their role, their place as front-line witnesses to the effects of climate change on the most fragile populations means that, in my opinion, they must play their part.
Could a discussion forum like the one organised by Groupe URD last June get the ball rolling?
This meeting had the merit of allowing field actors to give themselves the time they rarely have to take a step back and reflect on the issues. Funding bodies are starting to look seriously at the need to anticipate climate change. A body of knowledge is being built, opportunities to work differently are emerging, positions and ways of doing things are evolving. It’s time to step up a gear.
Compiled by Damien Guillou
Translated from the French by Derek Scoins
