New CNA/OxFam Report Highlights Vulnerabilities in Climate Change Preparedness

In a report released yesterday, researchers from CNA and Oxfam America provide insight into the state of current humanitarian and disaster relief processes, and warn climate change will increase the need for such efforts.

From PR Newswire:

Climate change is happening now and we must make the necessary investments to address its impacts. Such investments now would significantly reduce long-term costs of humanitarian response, limit strains on our military and civilian capacity, and lay a stronger foundation for stability in developing countries.

-Vice Admiral Lee Gunn, USN (Ret.), President of CNA’s Institute for Public Research and Vice Chairman of the CNA Military Advisory Board (and ASP Board member).

June 21, 2011- An Ounce of Prevention: Preparing for the Impact of a Changing Climate on U.S. Humanitarian and Disaster Response, a joint report by CNA and Oxfam America, provides a candid assessment of the current state of American disaster response and humanitarian relief efforts, citing inefficiencies in the aid allocation process to argue that money is not always spent constructively. From 2005 to 2009, for example, the U.N. received only 69% of the funds it requested for relief efforts, with donors displaying a bias toward funding short-term food distribution, leaving more far-reaching and preventative programs underfunded. Unfortunately, as the report explains, preventative measures provide a much greater return on investment.

Furthermore, the impacts of climate change are sure to place further stress on already-cash-strapped humanitarian programs. To quote Dr. E.D. McGrady, CNA Research Analyst and report co-author, we can expect “more disasters, greater economic stress and increased migration, which can exacerbate instability, particularly in already fragile states.” For more, see ASP’s own report on the global security impacts of climate change here.

Clearly, we have a few response options. We could ignore the problem, though that will become increasingly difficult as climate change displaces more populations, creating refugee problems and increased conflict worldwide. We could react to individual disasters, although the CNA/Oxfam report finds this to be an uneconomical way to spend money. Or we could invest now, both in disaster preparedness abroad and clean energy at home, to reduce the possibility of paying more later to clean up climate change-related disasters. To paraphrase: the question is no longer if we’ll pay for climate change, but rather when and how we will pay. Lets make smart investments in climate change mitigation to avoid paying more later in disaster relief.

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