Environmental Justice Foundation | Climate Alert: July

Aug 31, 2012

Climate Alert: July - August 2012

By EJF Staff

Scientific data indicates that extreme weather events such as flooding, storms and heat waves are becoming more intense. Larger areas are being affected by more frequent and longer-lasting droughts and increasingly severe desertification.

The impacts of these disasters, whether they occur rapidly or take months or years to manifest, can be devastating to the people they affect.

In particular, those disasters which touch the lives of the world’s poorest people, who often have made the least contribution to climate change through their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, serve as an urgent reminder of the need for action to protect and assist those affected, and of our collective responsibility to reduce GHG emissions.

News updates

Headlines

1. Philippines under water

2. Floods in Afghanistan

3. Severe droughts in US may increase food prices

4. Simple but effective: crop diversification in Laos

5. Drought crisis continues in the Horn of Africa

6. Haiti is hit by the tropical storm Isaac

7. Torrential rains in Korea

8. River Niger has floods to a level not seen since 1920

9. Mali: looking for seeds

1. Philippines under water

Weeks of severe rain left Manila, the capital of the Philippines, under water. The interaction of southwest monsoon rains with a tropical storm 900km away caused torrential downpours, flooding about 80 percent of Manila and large farming tracts to the north.

More than 3.7 million people were affected, almost 100 were killed, and over 300,000 are still in evacuation camps[1].

According to IRIN Asia, this issue is not new. Years of haphazard urban planning and worsening weather events are devastating the city.

One consequence has been the displacement of people: “The country of 100 million people has seen huge slum areas multiply, while riverside communities and upscale city developments have grown across an archipelago battered by about 20 storms annually, some of them deadly.”[2]

Crop losses have also been seen: “The rainfall has been so intense that rice fields were turned into an enormous inland ocean of brown water.”[3]

To watch a video please click here.

2. Floods in Afghanistan

On the 8th July, various districts of Laghman Province, as well as Kabul City, were affected by heavy rainfall.

In the rural area, 12 houses were seriously affected and a large area of agricultural land was washed away[1]. Those parts of the city that were affected were very densely populated, resulting in distress for many people.

Typically, during the summer season the weather in Kabul is dry, but with the heavy rain, the river overflowed its banks and flooded the neighbouring area.

“It was afternoon and I was resting at home when the rain started, and then I heard people shouting ‘flood is coming’, so I frantically took all of my children to the roof to protect them from the flood because our house is near the river,” said Pari, 30, an affected resident in district 6 of Kabul City[2].

3. Severe droughts in US may increase food prices

The drought of 2012 has had the most serious impact on US agriculture since 1988. Corn and soy crops in particular have been the worst affected.

“The U.S. Department of Agriculture left its corn crop ratings unchanged yesterday, with 23 percent of fields in good or excellent condition, while soybean ratings rose to 30 percent in top condition from 29 percent a week earlier. Crops remained in the worst shape since 1988.”[3]

Although not expected to generate displacement, the droughts will have an impact on the small farmers’ economy.

The USDA said that the worst drought in 50 years had forced farmers to abandon corn fields covering an area larger area than Belgium and Luxembourg combined.

In addition, the US is the world's largest exporter of corn, soybeans and wheat. This explains why the drought has already sent prices to record levels, contributing to soaring food prices around the world[4].

4. Simple but effective: crop diversification in Laos

In Laos, farmers cultivating rice are faced with soil erosion, landslides and severe flooding. This reduces their profitability and erodes their natural assets.

Crop diversification is one strategy often used to lessen the risk of crop failure due to droughts, floods or pests.

For Tai On and his family in Kioutaloun, northern Laos, crop diversification has been a worthwhile solution. They have been planting lemon trees and sweet bamboo.

Both lemons and sweet bamboo can be grown and sold all year round, allowing the family to earn some money. Sweet bamboo also grows quickly and prevents soil erosion.

Along with three other villages, the Kioutaloun community received US $50,000 in 2011 from the Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme, to plant non-rice crops to cope with changing weather patterns.

The project in Kioutaloun is looking into the beneficial exploitation of local knowledge about household crops like lemons and sweet bamboo, because in recent years villagers have often found them to be more profitable and reliable than rice[1].

5. Drought crisis continues in the Horn of Africa

In 2011, Northeast Africa and the Somali peninsula experienced severe droughts. The regions were in a state of emergency, suffering from food scarcity and a lack of water.

“Tens of thousands of people died, hundreds of thousands were displaced, and millions suffered deep erosion of livelihoods and assets in the 2011 drought crisis… Humanitarian response reached most people in time in Ethiopia and Kenya, but it failed to prevent a famine in Somalia[1]”.

Now, Save the Children warns of a double-dip hunger crisis as poor rains, crop shortages and conflict threaten the recovery from the 2011 droughts.

Farmland and livestock were devastated in 2011 and with poor rainfall predicted, it is possible that the people of East Africa will face a second summer of extreme hunger[2].

Adding to pre-existing issues in the political and socio-economic condition of this region, poor rainy seasons year after year are hindering the ability of the people to recover.

6. Haiti hit by the tropical storm Isaac

The tropical storm Isaac made landfall over Haiti early on the 18th of August. 15,000 people had to be evacuated and 19 have been killed.

In 2010, the island was affected by an earthquake, where an estimated 400,000 people are still living in tent camps[3].

Strong winds had a presence in the area, whilst the major threat was rainfall that can facilitate the spread of diseases. Save the Children and other organisations are assessing the damage left by the storm.

Isaac was upgraded to a Category One hurricane as it made landfall across the US Gulf Coast.

Looking ahead, those living further north are now hoping that Isaac will provide some much-needed rainfall to ease the droughts in Central America[4].

7. Torrential rains in Korea

Torrential rains, described as the worst in a century, have triggered landslides and flooded parts of the Seoul, the capital city[1].

The rain started in early July and has resulted in floods throughout the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, affecting nine provinces and causing damage to infrastructure and livelihoods.

Initially, at least 88 deaths were reported, with 134 people injured and 50 others missing. As of 1stAugust, a total of 62,889 people have been affected by the floods, with 3,589 houses destroyed, 3,236 houses damaged, and 12,031 houses submerged[2].

The situation in North Korea is similar. Counties most affected by the floods are in need of immediate food assistance. Floods and a typhoon also displaced about 212,200 people and submerged more than 65,000 hectares (160,000 acres) of farmland between late June and the end of July[3].

In both countries the shortage of food and potable water is an issue, as well as the mechanisms to overcome this period and the health problems linked to floods.

8. River Niger has floods to a level not seen since 1920

At least 52 people have been killed and nearly 400,000 displaced by flooding in Niger.

People are being put up in schools and public buildings or by relatives, while their houses, mosques and schools are swept away.

Millions of people are going hungry in the region, due to the accumulative consequences of last year’s late and erratic rains and this year’s strong floods[4].

Excessive rains, which have been falling since mid-July, have brought flooding to all regions of the country.

The southern Dosso region is one of the worst affected. In this region alone, nearly 70,000 have been evacuated and three people have lost their lives[5].

The capital Niamey was also hit when the River Niger burst its banks, flooding the city's suburbs.

According to Plan International, the river reached levels not seen since the 1920s, and people have been building their houses nearby since the area has not been inundated for very long time[6].

9. Mali: looking for seeds

This year the rain has fallen as expected in Mali, however the expected crops of rice and millet have not been in place due to a shortage of seeds. The government estimates rice production this year could be reduced by 20 to 30% as a result.

The scarcity of seeds is thought to be caused by lower yields in previous years, making it difficult to collect enough seeds for the future years.

According to the Catholic Relief Services (CRS), most farmers produced enough grain in 2011 to last just five to six months, leaving them with no seeds for planting because they had all been eaten, so they were forced to buy seed on the open market.

International aid has been stopped because of the internal conflict in Mali and the UN agricultural organisation (FAO) is said not to have the budget needed to address Mali’s problem. Meanwhile, the farmers’ seed supplies are falling and they become increasingly dependent on buying seeds, resulting in debt[7].

Under these circumstances other low-cost and local alternatives are needed. Previous efforts to organise community seed banks have had good results in Mali.

A community seed bank in Badiari village has been experimenting for around 15 years with the NGO USC Canada.

“It can sometimes take three plantings to yield just one crop! And when the rains do come, they can come all at once. It’s tough going.”

But, through careful crop selection and breeding, the local seeds collected here are simply more resistant to the regions challenges: drought, diseases, and pests. By conserving and sharing these local seeds, through seed banks and seed exchanges, farmers have reserves if a natural disaster destroys a harvest.” [8]

With a rapidly changing climate and unstable social and economic conditions in many poor countries, local solutions – based more on traditional knowledge and less on money – may be a more effective answer to current pressures.

[1] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-14320584

[2] http://reliefweb.int/report/democratic-peoples-republic-korea/democratic-peoples-republic-korea-floods-dref-operation-n-2

[3] http://edition.cnn.com/2012/08/03/world/asia/north-korea-floods/index.html

[4] http://reliefweb.int/report/niger/niger-floods-death-toll-rises-52-government

[5] http://www.aljazeera.com/weather/2012/08/20128229108720537.html

[6] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-19384377

[7] http://www.irinnews.org/Report/96126/MALI-Rain-but-too-few-seeds

[8] http://usc-canada.org/what-we-do/where-we-work/mali/

[1] Slim, 2012. IASC Real-Time Evaluation of the Humanitarian Response to the Horn of Africa Drought Crisis in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya. http://reliefweb.int/report/somalia/iasc-real-time-evaluation-humanitarian-response-horn-africa-drought-crisis-somalia

[2] http://reliefweb.int/report/somalia/east-africa-facing-%E2%80%98double-d...

[3] http://reliefweb.int/report/haiti/haiti-death-toll-storm-isaac-hits-19

[4] http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/30/us-storm-isaac-idUSBRE87L0PH20120830?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews