Attachments
Conference report, Monday 12 - Thursday 15 September 2011 (WP1093)
There is an increased frequency and severity of disasters, whether natural or caused by human action; these have serious impacts on lives, livelihoods and the environment. Environmental emergencies are defined by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) as “sudden-onset disasters or accidents resulting from natural, technological or human-induced factors, or a combination of these that cause, or threaten to cause severe environmental damage as well as loss of human lives and property”. Such disasters can result from increasingly extreme weather events linked to climate change, or from deforestation and land degredation, industrial accidents such as chemical spills, marine pollution or other accidents (such as the Fukushima Nuclear Accident in March 2011, itself due to a tsunami resulting from an earthquake). The environmental causes and impacts may be exacerbated by conflict situations.
Improved resilience and disaster preparedness was identified by Member States and other stakeholders as one of the new and emerging challenges to be discussed at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Brazil in June 2012. Preparations for the so-called “Rio + 20” Conference provide a unique opportunity for the humanitarian and environmental communities to highlight the need for strengthened governance and institutional frameworks to address environmental emergencies and disasters within a broader sustainable development context.
Greater resilience is needed to prevent, prepare for and cope with such disasters which have significant and long-lasting social and economic consequences as well as environmental impacts, the latter often less visible and immediate.
Pre-prepared arrangements and the co-ordinated actions of civil responders, humanitarian organisations and environmental actors are crucial in responding to environmental disasters. The better the response, the better the chances of saving lives, improving development and protecting the environment in the long term.
Notable progress has been made in strengthening the worldwide system to prevent, prepare for, and respond to such disasters including most recently the UNEP Governing Council decision (2011). However, there are a number of practical challenges at national and international level; national capacities are lacking and the multilateral system, led by the UN, is often overwhelmed. Such challenges reduce the effective response and put lives, livelihoods and the environment at greater risk. Additional efforts are needed to strengthen international norms for notification of incidents, clarify procedures for emergency assistance and improve critical coordination among humanitarian, disaster relief, environmental protection and development bodies. Greater emphasis is also needed in prevention of environmental disasters as much as in preparedness for and response to such a disaster.