G7 Summit : commitments to keep people safer from climate disasters

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The UK, Germany and USA have announced new action to scale up protection for the world’s most vulnerable communities against the impacts of climate change.

A package of support, including £120 million in new funding from the UK and €125 million in new funding from Germany, will enable quicker responses for vulnerable people when extreme weather and climate-linked disasters hit.

Pre-arranged financing for vulnerable communities will help build the systems needed to reach the poorest people quickly, such as payments when harvest fail.

This will protect those most at risk and help reduce losses and damage to communities, infrastructure and livelihoods caused by climate change. It comes ahead of the UK’s hosting of the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, in November 2021 which must make progress on helping poor communities adapt to climate change.

The UK and Germany will also use this money to invest in the regional disaster protection schemes across Africa, South East Asia, the Caribbean and Pacific to protect the lives and livelihoods of poor and vulnerable people against climate risks. This support contributes to the InsuResilience Global Partnership’s Vision 2025 and the Risk Informed Early Action Partnership (REAP) – two key global coalitions working to reduce the impact of disasters.

In addition, the USA confirmed it will join the UK, Germany and other G7 countries as a member of the InsuResilience Global Partnership and REAP.

This joint action represents substantial new support for countries on the frontline of climate change and humanitarian disasters.

The severity and frequency of severe weather and climate-linked natural disasters is increasing as climate change worsens. Developing countries, women, girls and other often marginalised groups are worst affected.

This means many of the world’s most vulnerable communities are on the frontline. Extreme weather and slow-onset disasters like drought and rising sea levels not only threaten lives, but can also cause loss of and damage to critical infrastructure, as well as the natural environment. From hurricanes and heavy rainfall in the Caribbean and Pacific, to droughts and failed harvests in Africa, without action, climate change could push more than 100 million people below the poverty line as soon as 2030.

UK Foreign and Development Secretary Dominic Raab said , “ Tackling climate change is one of the greatest threats of our time as without action, it could push more than 100 million people below the poverty line as soon as 2030.This joint UK, US and German action will enable quicker responses to extreme weather and climate-linked disasters in countries bearing the brunt of climate change.”

The new support announced today follows G7 Leaders’ commitments to the $100bn Climate Finance goal, particularly to increasing funding for early action and managing of disaster risks.

Similarly ,  G7 leaders have agreed commitments to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030, and tackle deforestation, marine litter and illegal wildlife trade.

At the G7 Leaders’ Summit in Cornwall, countries have come together and agreed a shared G7 Nature Compact. This is a key agreement which brings G7 countries together to address the most pressing international and interlinked challenges of biodiversity loss and climate change.

Leaders have also agreed to review progress against the Nature Compact to ensure delivery of its 2030 vision.

This next milestone marks a crucial commitment to supporting global consensus and taking bold action for the delivery of ambitious outcomes for nature in 2021.

Climate change is one key driver of biodiversity loss, and protecting, conserving and restoring biodiversity is crucial to addressing climate change. Source : Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, GOV.UK

14 June 2021

Photo :  G7 – Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, USA, UK-  Leaders’ Summit in Carbis Bay, Cornwall, England , UK ( June 11-13 , 2021)