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RISING TOLL FROM
DISASTERS UNDERSCORES NEED FOR HUMANITARIAN,
POLITICAL ACTION
Author
Darcey
Rakestraw
Washington, D.C.--Conflict
and "un-natural" disasters
have taken a heavy toll in Indonesia
and Sri Lanka, yet new analysis from
the Worldwatch Institute shows important
lessons can be learned from the countries'
differing responses to these difficult
circumstances. In Indonesia's Aceh
province, the December 2004 tsunami
killed some 170,000 people, more than
ten times as many as perished in Aceh's
29-year war for independence. The
disaster convinced the government
and rebels that peace was indispensable
for rebuilding. But in Sri Lanka,
where the toll of the 1983-2002 civil
war far surpassed the number of tsunami
victims, bickering over tsunami aid
reinforced ethnic and political divisions
that may lead to resumed conflict.
"While grim
in its origin, post-disaster humanitarian
action can be a powerful catalyst
for overcoming deep human divides,"
says Michael Renner, Senior Researcher
and Director of the Institute's Global
Security Project. "But humanitarian
impulses must be translated into tangible
political change, or else lasting
peace may not be achieved."
Renner recently
returned from a fact-finding mission
to Aceh, where he observed unexpectedly
positive developments in the current
peace process. But Renner cautions
that the world community needs to
keep close watch on this process to
prevent backsliding and to reinvigorate
a sluggish reconstruction effort that
could become, in itself, a cause for
resentment and new conflict.
In recognition
of the dramatic rise in the numbers
and impacts of disasters worldwide,
Worldwatch has initiated a major research
and public policy project on "un-natural"
disasters, conflict, and peacemaking.
Many of the earthquakes, hurricanes,
and floods that battered the globe
last year can be categorized as "un-natural
disasters" because their impact
was greatly exacerbated by human actions--including
wetlands destruction, global warming,
and population growth.
"The global
toll from disasters has climbed significantly
over the past twenty years,"
explains Worldwatch Staff Researcher
Zoë Chafe, co-contributor to
the project. In 2005, nearly 125 million
people were injured, lost their home,
or required other immediate assistance
as a result of disasters. Over 100,000
lives were lost, in addition to the
230,000 people killed by the tsunami
at the end of 2004. Total economic
damages in 2005 reached a record $200
billion, including $125 billion in
losses from Hurricane Katrina alone.
The single greatest human toll followed
the October earthquake in Pakistan
and India, a disaster that continues
to claim lives as survivors face harsh
winter conditions.
The Institute's
new project focuses on the effects
of disasters in areas already stressed
by violent conflict. Activities and
outputs include:
- An assessment
of human-influenced disaster trends,
and the prospects for peacemaking
in Aceh and Sri Lanka, in Worldwatch's
newly released State of the World
2006 report.
- A series of
Policy Briefs analyzing specific
cases where conflict and disaster
have intersected, for the purpose
of distilling key lessons and making
policy recommendations.
- A new Worldwatch
web portal that presents current
disaster trends, provides opinion
pieces and analysis, offers links
to information from partner organizations,
and details the Institute's research
activities and speaking engagements
on disasters and peacemaking.
As illustrated
by the Indian Ocean tsunami, Hurricane
Katrina, and the recent earthquake
in Kashmir, disasters devastate neighborhoods
and disable basic community services,
leading to economic and political
insecurity. Renner and Chafe stress
that "humanitarian peacemaking"--conciliatory
steps taken in conflict zones in the
aftermath of disasters--should be
complemented by "environmental
peacemaking": joint projects
to protect critical ecosystems carried
out by neighboring states that find
it difficult to cooperate on other
issues.
The international
community now has a crucial role to
play. Beyond diplomatic efforts to
monitor peacemaking, it is imperative
that global leaders address the role
of human-induced climate change in
global weather patterns. Over the
next few decades, the number of people
living in disaster-prone areas will
continue to grow, greatly increasing
the vulnerability of many communities
as they face more frequent and more
intense storms, floods, and droughts.
Pragmatic government leadership on
climate change and disaster preparedness
can save lives and reduce economic
damages in the years to come.
About the Worldwatch
Institute: Worldwatch is an independent
research organization based in Washington,
D.C. that works on energy, resource,
and environmental issues. The Institute's
State of the World report is published
annually in more than 20 languages.
For more information, visit www.worldwatch.org.
FOOTNOTE
Darcey
Rakestraw
Communications Manager
Worldwatch Institute
1776 Massachusetts Ave. #800
Washington, DC 20036
202-452-1992 x 517
drakestraw@worldwatch.org
www.worldwatch.org
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