愛污传媒

Skip to main content

Climate crisis costs up over 800 per cent as UN donor nations fail to keep pace, report says

A man drinks water at a market place during an extremely hot day in Mumbai, India, on April 28, 2022. (Rajanish kakade / AP) A man drinks water at a market place during an extremely hot day in Mumbai, India, on April 28, 2022. (Rajanish kakade / AP)
Share

The amount of money needed to aid communities in the face of extreme has increased by more than 800% in the past two decades as the also rapidly accelerated, new research shows.

, found not only is the need for extreme weather-related UN humanitarian funding now sharply higher than 20 years ago, but donor nations are also failing to keep up with the staggering .

In 2021, the economic toll of extreme weather events was roughly US$329 billion globally -- the third highest year on record and almost double the total aid donated by wealthy nations to poorer countries that same year.

Between 2000 and 2002, the UN needed an average of $1.6 billion in funding each year for humanitarian projects after extreme weather events. By 2019 through 2021, it was seeking an average of $15.5 billion each year -- an increase of more than 800%.

Additionally, the report shows that for every $2 needed to address climate change-fueled disasters, wealthy donor countries are only providing half of that.

"Climate change is harming, and will continue to harm, Black, Indigenous, and people of colour and other vulnerable communities first and worst -- disrupting their livelihoods, culture, health, and way of life," Russell Armstrong, Oxfam America's senior climate policy adviser, told CNN.

"Even though the economic toll of climate change, estimated between $300 billion and $500 billion globally, is on par with government subsidies for fossil fuels, calls for solutions have gone unheard," he added.

Since 2017, roughly 54% of the developed countries today have met these UN humanitarian appeals, leaving a deficit of up to $33 billion.

From addressing wars to food scarcity around the globe, researchers say the climate crisis is putting even more pressure on an already financially-strained UN humanitarian system.

The impact of climate change-fuelled disasters exacerbates inequalities already baked into a country's physical and social infrastructure, mostly hitting low-income nations the hardest.

Such countries typically lack the proper infrastructure and money needed to recover from disasters.

According to the report, the countries with the most recurring appeals regarding extreme weather crises include Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Kenya, Niger, Somalia, South Sudan and Zimbabwe.

Meanwhile, rich countries such as the more of the emissions that fuel these extreme weather events.

As the biggest historical emitter of carbon pollution "the U.S. has an obligation to the global community to prioritize the fight against climate change and help foot the bill on the costs of destruction from extreme weather," Armstrong said.

According to the report, the UN humanitarian appeals only cover a small fraction -- roughly 7.5% or 474 million of the estimated 3.9 billion people -- of low- and middle-income nations that have been plagued by climate change-fuelled disasters since the beginning of this century.

The report was published as ministers meet in Bonn, Germany, for climate talks to discuss the issue of "loss and damage," essentially the payment of funds from the wealthy world to countries dealing with more severe impacts of the climate crisis.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

The president and CEO of New Brunswick-based Covered Bridge Potato Chips is taking an 'extended leave of absence' after being charged with domestic violence this past weekend.

A memorial is growing outside a Walmart in Halifax after a 19-year-old employee was found dead inside an oven in the store Saturday night.

A search has started at Prairie Green Landfill for the remains of two victims of a serial killer.

He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.

Canada's discount airline is suspending operations to and from Saskatoon.

A new report suggests that Canadians' exposure to a radioactive gas is increasing, putting millions of people at a higher risk of developing lung cancer.

Local Spotlight

He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.

A meteor lit up our region's sky last night 鈥 with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.

Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.

A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.

A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.

A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.

Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.

Looking for a scare with good intentions this Halloween season? The ghosts and ghouls of Eganville, Ont. invite families to tour the Haunted Walk at Lekbor Manor.

The image of a sleepy Saskatchewan small town with 'not a lot going on' is a well-known anecdote. However, one Saskatchewan company is hoping to change that 鈥 and allow communities both on and off the beaten path to share their stories and advertise what they have to offer.