Moreover, the (inflation corrected) economic losses of natural disasters have been increasing over the last few decades, with the number of natural disasters causing substantial losses increasing by a factor of three since the 1980s ( Hoeppe 2016). Examples include the Northridge (United States) earthquake in 1994, the Kobe (Japan) earthquake in 1995, the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake that caused the Asian tsunami, Hurricane Katrina (United States) in 2005, the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, and Hurricane Harvey (United States) in 2017.
#DEMOCRACY 3 CYCLONES SERIES#
The Alliance of Small Island States, a group of 44 coastal and low-lying countries, repeated that goal and presented measures to keep the global temperature from rising even further at the climate change summit in Lima, Peru in December.Since the 1990s, a series of natural disasters have caused economic losses in the tens of billions of U.S. In November last year, Michel urged the planet’s small island nations to unite for an unprecedented campaign against climate change or else be treated as global “bystanders” and be allowed to drown. “When will the international community wake up to reality and put our efforts and resources to get a binding agreement to reduce global warming and sustain the survival of our planet?” Michel said. Low-lying island nations, some of which are little more than three feet above sea level, are regarded as some of the most vulnerable to rising seas blamed on climate change.
Perched on the geologically active Ring of Fire, Vanuatu of the world’s poorest nations suffers from frequent earthquakes and tsunamis and has several active volcanoes, in addition to threats from storms and rising sea levels. France and the United States were also sending aid.Ĭommercial flights resumed on Monday, bringing in more aid and taking out tourists.įormerly known as the New Hebrides, Vanuatu is a sprawling cluster of more than 80 islands home to 260,000 people, about 1,250 miles northeast of the Australian city of Brisbane. Military flights from New Zealand and Australia were bringing in water, sanitation kits, medicines and temporary shelters for the estimated 10,000 made homeless on the main island, with supplies being unloaded late into the evening at the airport. President James Michel blames devastating Cyclone Pam on global warming, issues warning to world “More than 90 percent of the buildings have been destroyed.” “Many of the buildings and houses have been completely destroyed,” Lonsdale told Reuters. The official toll of 24 killed looked certain to rise as reports began to trickle from the hardest hit parts of the scattered archipelago. Reports from the outer islands of Vanuatu on Monday painted a picture of utter destruction after the monster storm tore through the South Pacific island nation, flattening buildings and killing at least 24 people.ĭisaster management officials and relief workers were struggling to establish contact with the islands that bore the brunt of Cyclone Pam’s winds of more than 185 mph, which destroyed homes, smashed boats and washed away roads and bridges as it struck late on Friday and into Saturday. “Climate change is contributing to the disaster in Vanuatu,” he said Monday, as relief agencies surveyed the scale of damage caused by Super Cyclone Pam. His comments echoed those of Vanuatu President Baldwin Lonsdale. “Today it is the South Pacific, tomorrow it could be us,” he added. “The cyclone, which has just struck Vanuatu - a sister Small Island State - with such catastrophic effects and the tragic loss of lives is a clear manifestation of climate change, which some persist to deny,” Seychelles President James Michel said in a statement. The president of the Seychelles on Monday called on the international community to “wake up” to climate change after a massive tropical cyclone devastated the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu. caribbean community climate change centre.Stuartbramhall on Capitalism Will Ruin the Earth…ĪllenLic on Permaculture PDC in Palestine…ĥ0 pounds in kg on Permaculture PDC in Palestine… Parkinson on Register for Online Conference…Īlexander philip on Capitalism Will Ruin the Earth…
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