Climate change and displacement – a growing health concern

Climate change remains one of the most imminent risks to the health and wellbeing of people across the world, taking a serious toll on both physical and mental health. Climate change is adversely affecting human health, directly through exposure to hazards and indirectly through natural and socio-economic systems. Heatwaves, storms and floods, the disruption of food systems, increases in zoonoses and food-, water- and vector-borne diseases, and mental health issues, disruption of social structures and information streams, treatment disruptions, conflict over scarce resources, are just some of the effects of climate change on human health.

The most directly affected are the marginalized and the poorest with limited adaptive capacity, who do not have the resources to access to health and protect themselves from disasters and who, more often than not, live in areas where climate impacts like floods, droughts and storms hit hardest. Above all, they are forced, to make do with limited health services.

Displacement can have devastating impacts on those displaced, as well as on the communities that receive and support them. Many displaced people have critical assistance and protection needs, ranging from health and psychosocial support, access to clean water and sanitation, emergency shelter, protection against violence including gender-based violence and child protection, as well as longer-term support to recover and realize durable solutions.

Substantial investments in communities are needed

Achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) will alleviate unequal distribution of health impacts, especially for the most vulnerable, including displaced populations and people with disabilities and serious health issues. Local communities and local organizations must be at the centre of addressing climate-related displacement. Governments and donors need to ensure that funding for climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction is directed to the countries and the communities with the highest risks and the lowest capacities. Immediate and substantial investments are needed to enable communities to anticipate and adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change and reduce the risks of climate-related displacement.

Local communities and local organizations must be at the centre of addressing climate-related displacement.

Enhanced local action can help close data gaps by providing a means to record the impacts of smaller scale, localized disasters which lead to displacement and create a need for humanitarian assistance, but which would otherwise not be recorded. National Societies with a permanent local presence are better able to track the situation of evacuees and monitor the length of displacement. However, many National Societies, like other local organizations, face capacity constraints. Scaling up investment will allow National Societies to increase capacity, for example by training more volunteers and staff to collect relevant data during the emergency phase and at regular intervals thereafter throughout the displacement cycle.

Localization is the foundation of the IFRC and has been critical to meeting the humanitarian needs of displaced populations and other people on the move in the context of disasters and climate change. A branch-level, volunteer structure – the building block of all Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies – provides a country-wide permanent presence and trusted community access in places across the globe where people live at risk of displacement from climate-related (and other) hazards.

National Societies with a permanent local presence are better able to track the situation of evacuees and monitor the length of displacement.

Community voices are critical in the planning of humanitarian programmes

It is critical that communities are empowered to be part of strategies and plans to reduce the risks of climate-related displacement. Through community engagement and accountability activities, National Societies ensure community voices and perspectives are heard in the planning and implementation of humanitarian programmes. A whole of society approach needs to be applied to strengthen partnerships and collaboration among different actors at all levels.

Translating commitment into action will include a clear local focus and incorporating climate information across our health, WASH and care operations, programmes and advocacy work. Addressing the drivers of health and climate vulnerability at the community level; reducing differentiated needs, vulnerabilities and capacities and strengthening community resilience through IFRC and RCRC National Societies’ action on the ground to ensure continuity of care, are key to support the resilience of health systems, ensure that each and everyone has access to life saving health services and ultimately to ensure that no one is left behind.

1. Afghanistan: In March 2019, climatic conditions changed dramatically, with heavy precipitation and snowfall across Afghanistan, resulting in severe flash flooding. In nine of the most affected provinces, the flooding damaged and destroyed housing and shelter, food, water, health care facilities, and disrupted or destroyed livelihoods. The flooding also led to the displacement of rural communities and IDPs who fled from camps that were also affected by the flooding. An estimated 42,000 people were displaced, mostly for a short period and limited to the immediate duration of the emergency. To support communities affected by flash flooding, the Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS) provided emergency shelter and food for displaced individuals and families; deployed medical health teams and provided targeted multi-purpose cash-based support, including to help rebuild livelihoods. ARCS also held community awareness sessions on disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation and the importance of early warning and early action.
2. Angola: Since December 2020, Angolan citizens started crossing the border into Namibia in search of food, water, healthcare and employment because of the drought in their country. At the request of the Namibian government, the Namibia Red Cross Society has been providing Angolan citizens with food, shelter, blankets, mattresses, clothing, and healthcare, irrespective of their legal status.
3. Honduras: In November 2020, Honduras was hit by two consecutive hurricanes – Eta and Iota – which caused massive displacement and significant damage and destruction to crops and harvests. Families already facing economic hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic and endemic poverty saw their livelihoods undermined. Some 937,000 people in the country were newly displaced by disasters in 2020 and over 3 million people are now suffering from food insecurity. These adverse impacts of climate change have contributed to people’s decisions to leave their homes and join the ‘migrant caravans’ headed towards the North of the continent, crossing countries such as Guatemala and Mexico. In response to the ‘migrant caravan’ formed in January 2021, the Honduran Red Cross Society provided migrants with water, face masks, healthcare, information about safety, security and COVID-19 prevention measures, as well as a means of communication to keep in touch with family members – at key points along their migratory journey.
4. Yemen: In Yemen, the protracted armed conflict intensified in 2020, bringing the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) to 4 million. The already dire humanitarian situation was further compounded in 2020 by extreme flooding, which devastated entire communities and fuelled the spread of diseases, such as cholera, dengue, malaria, and diphtheria. More than 300,000 people were affected, most of them IDPs who had previously fled conflict areas, leading to secondary displacement. Yemen Red Crescent Society volunteers provided health and psychosocial support, and distributed food, personal hygiene items, shelter kits and other essential items to affected people.
5. Samoa: Importance of adaptation measures: Samoa, for example, is prone to tropical cyclones and has a long history of climate-related displacement. With approximately 70 per cent of the country’s population and infrastructure located in low-lying coastal areas and projected sea level rises, vulnerable families in coastal areas have decided to voluntarily relocate to inland sites. Using an inclusive and anticipatory approach, the Samoa Red Cross Society supports vulnerable families who have relocated to these sites. Recognizing the importance of local ownership of humanitarian action, it involves family members in site preparation and promotes sustainable local adaptation, by providing training in cleaning and maintaining rainwater harvesting systems.
6. Germany: The climate crisis is already happening now in all parts of the world, including in high-income countries. In Germany, a series of storms in summer 2021 caused rivers to burst their banks, destroying entire villages and killing 180 people. Over 30,000 people were displaced. The German Red Cross provided support to affected communities, including drinking water, food, accommodation, electricity, mobile healthcare, and psychological help.

Recognizing the importance of local ownership of humanitarian action, the Samoa Red Cross Society involves family members in site preparation and promotes sustainable local adaptation, by providing training in cleaning and maintaining rainwater harvesting systems.

1. Sources: IFRC, Displacement in a Changing Climate. Online: 2021-Climate-Displacement-Report-Final.pdf (ifrc.org) and IFRC, Responding to Disasters and Displacement in a Changing Climate: Case Studies, Asia Pacific National Societies in Action. Online: 16032021-Responding-to-Disasters-and-Displacement-in-a-Changing-Climate-final.pdf (ifrc.org)