This year saw the highest-ever daily global average temperature — a record that was broken the very next day. Yet for millions of people around the world, these extremes of the climate crisis have long been an everyday reality.
In a report, the International Rescue Committee identified 16 conflict-affected, climate-vulnerable countries around the world that emit less than 3% of all greenhouse gasses and are home to less than 10% of the global population, but nearly half of all people affected by natural disasters in recent years and over 60% of people in humanitarian need.
A deepening climate injustice is being perpetrated against the world’s most vulnerable communities. Despite soaring needs, climate financing per capita for these conflict-affected countries is a third of what other countries received. The status quo approach of climate action risks leaving behind communities already lagging in the accomplishment of the Sustainable Development Goals.
About the author
Ciarán Donnelly
Ciarán Donnelly is the SVP for crisis response, recovery, and development at the International Rescue Committee. He oversees humanitarian programs in over 40 countries worldwide, reaching more than 32 million people last year. Having joined the IRC’s response to the civil war in Burundi in 2001, he eventually led the field operations in Uganda and Afghanistan.
