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What's the article about?
- It talks about the enhancing international cooperation in disaster prevention, response, and recovery in the backdrop of G20 summit and the outcomes of the Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group.
Relevance:
- GS3: Disaster and Disaster Management;
- Prelims
Context:
- Leaders at the G20 summit in New Delhi have emphasized the critical juncture the world is facing, with risks being created faster than they are being reduced.
- The COVID-19 pandemic, combined with a polycrisis of war, debt, and food insecurity, is putting our collective ability to cope to the test.
- All of this is happening against the backdrop of the climate crisis, which is driving extreme weather events that are occurring more frequently and with greater intensity.
Analysis:
- The Rise in Disasters:
- The rise in disasters is a trend, not an aberration. Headlines this year alone have brought a relentless wave of bad news across the world, from severe flooding in China to destructive wildfires in Europe and Hawaii to the hottest month ever on record in July.
- This is set to become the new normal if more action isn’t taken. And perversely, it is the most vulnerable countries and communities which are paying the greatest price despite having contributed least to the problem.
- The majority of the 50 countries most vulnerable to climate change also suffer from severe debt issues. India, already among the world’s most disaster-prone countries, is experiencing this new reality acutely.
- Solutions at Hand:
- Despite the challenges, there is good news. We have the solutions for both adaptation and mitigation at hand.
- The SDGs remain our best blueprint for peace and prosperity, together with commitments made in Paris to limit global warming to 1.5°C, and the global framework for reducing disaster risks — the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.
- Eight years into the implementation of the Sendai Framework, progress is severely lacking. However, in May this year, UN member states committed to accelerate resilience building with renewed urgency.
- India's Stewardship:
- India has made significant progress in disaster risk reduction.
- All the 28 States have prepared their own disaster management plans in recent years. Accordingly, mortality from extreme weather events has fallen drastically in recent years.
- India’s early warning system for cyclones covers the entire coastline and has helped reduce cyclone-related mortality by 90% over the last 15 years, while heat wave action plans at the local level have reduced heat wave deaths by over 90%.
- The recent zero death toll of Cyclone Biparjoy in Gujarat demonstrates what can be achieved through effective preparedness, response, and early warning and action systems.
- Transformations Needed:
- Disaster risk must be integrated at all levels, into how we build, how we invest, and how we live.
- One of the most cost-effective risk-reduction methods is early warning systems for all, spearheaded by the UN, with India’s support.
- Just a 24-hour warning of a coming storm can reduce the damage caused by 30%.
- Yet, over a third of the world’s population, mostly in the least developed countries and Small Island Developing States, do not have access to such systems.
- The ultimate goal is a global multi-risk warning system for all kinds of hazards, whether biological, tectonic, or technological. Improving global data capabilities will help us predict and respond to the risks we are facing.
Way Forward:
- The G20 summit and the outcomes of the Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group are an opportunity to design a future where we are equipped to withstand disaster risk.
- As UN Secretary-General António Guterres said, “Extreme weather events will happen. But they do not need to become deadly disasters.”
- We must enhance international cooperation in disaster prevention, response, and recovery, especially for the countries of the Global South.
