To strengthen resilience of communities

11. Tackling the Risks of Climate Change

This initiative aims to reduce the negative impact of climate change on people’s lives and to realize a sustainable society. It is broadly divided into “mitigation measures” and “adaptation measures.” Mitigation measures focus on reducing greenhouse gases through activities such as tree planting to curb the progression of climate change. On the other hand, adaptation measures refer to actions taken to address the effects of climate change, such as preparing disaster prevention infrastructure and preventing heatstroke.

In 2021, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement adopted “The Climate & Environment Charter for Humanitarian Organizations” in response to the growing risk of climate change. This placed climate change as an even more important humanitarian issue than before. Humanitarian risks include the increasing frequency and intensity of natural disasters such as floods, droughts, and wildfires. Countries with weaker social infrastructure are especially vulnerable to the effects of these disasters.

To this end, the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is implementing various initiatives to improve resilience (the ability to recover from disasters), including supporting local residents in creating disaster prevention maps, training first aid volunteers, and raising awareness about the risks of climate change and countermeasures for it. While each initiative may be small in scale, it is essential to continue building on these steady efforts to protect the global environment now and in the future.