Reuters AlertNet Full site
Homepage | Newsdesk | NGO Latest | Crisis briefings | Country profiles | MediaWatch | Jobs | Alerting | Login

NEWSDESK

In Brief: Climate-related disasters force 20 million out of homes in 2008
23 Sep 2009 15:23:21 GMT
Source: IRIN
JOHANNESBURG, 23 September 2009 (IRIN) - Climate related natural disasters like droughts, hurricanes and floods forced 20 million people - slightly less than the population of Australia - out of their homes in 2008 alone said a new study, making a strong case for regularly monitoring displacement in the context of climate change.

A total of 36 million people were displaced worldwide by sudden-onset natural disasters, including earthquakes and landslides. During the same period 4.6 million people were internally displaced by conflicts.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the Geneva-based Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre jointly conducted the study, Monitoring Disaster Displacement in the Context of Climate Change.

"Had it not been for the Sichuan earthquake in China, which displaced 15 million people, climate related disasters would have been responsible for over 90 percent of disaster related displacement in 2008," the study commented.

Using the 2008 data as a test case, the study proposed the ongoing monitoring of disaster related displacement using existing information, such as the Emergency Events Database produced by the Belgium-based Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters, cross-referenced with various other sources, and individually investigating events to estimate the numbers of persons displaced.

The next step is further research into displacement caused by slow-onset disasters and sea level rise. The study also called for a legal framework to protect people forced to cross a border by a natural disaster.

jk/he

© IRIN. All rights reserved. More humanitarian news and analysis: http://www.IRINnews.org


AlertNet news is provided by

Email this article       Send comments

Topics

•  Floods

•  Hurricanes and cyclones

•  Refugees & displacement

•  Climate change

MORE >>

NGO latest

•  Advocates tell leaders 'Global partnership key to global climate stalemates'
CWS

•  Niger battles flood chaos
Caritas Internationalis

•  Imbalance Between Departments of Defense and State Dangerous for U.S. Foreign Policy
Refugees International - USA

•  Bangladesh:
Oxfam GB - UK

•  The UMCOR Hotline for September 22, 2009
UMCOR - USA

MORE >>

Latest news

•  In Brief: Climate-related disasters force 20 million out of homes in 2008

•  EU court ruling adds carbon trade uncertainty

•  SAfrica softens tone on climate change

•  Obama says U.S. no longer dragging feet on climate

•  Obama calls for new era of world engagement

MORE >>
IRIN news

Del.icio.us Del.icio.us  |   Digg Digg  |   NewsVine NewsVine  |   Reddit Reddit   
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-09-23T113030Z_01_HAN02_RTRIDSP_2_CLIMATE_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/HAN02.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-09-23T112757Z_01_HAN03_RTRIDSP_2_CLIMATE_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/HAN03.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-09-23T112552Z_01_HAN04_RTRIDSP_2_CLIMATE_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/HAN04.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-09-23T093943Z_01_PEK12_RTRIDSP_2_FLU-CHINA_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/PEK12.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-09-23T044847Z_01_HKG05_RTRIDSP_2_SINOPHARM-IPO_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/HKG05.htm

The sun sets above a cement factory in Sai Son village, outside Hanoi September 23, 2009. World leaders tried to inject momentum into climate change talks on Tuesday but new proposals ...



Disclaimers |  Copyright |  Privacy |  Contact Us |  Feedback |  About Us |  RSS XML

Last updated:Wed Sep 23 15:24:22 2009