The impacts of climate change are already devastating lives and livelihoods every year, and they will only get worse without immediate and determined action. The World Disasters Report 2020 analyses climate disaster trends and shows how we can tackle the humanitarian impacts of the climate crisis together.

Although we are living in a climate crisis, we don’t have to accept climate disasters as inevitable. The World Disasters Report argues that societies, humanitarians, donors and others can make a difference now, by becoming more “climate smart”.
This means that we need to get our priorities right, use forecast science more intelligently to respond faster and more effectively integrate and localise our approaches. We need to scale up risk reduction and preparedness now, prioritizing the most climate-vulnerable people and ensuring no one is left behind.

We can, and must, do this together – breaking the funding and institutional siloes that make it hard to move quickly.
The World Disasters Report also argues that the massive stimulus packages that are currently being developed around the world in response to the COVID-19 pandemic are an opportunity to address and reduce climate vulnerability. A recovery that protects people and the planet would not only help to reduce today’s risks but would also make communities safer and more resilient to future disasters.

Smart financing – with a focus on early warning and anticipatory action to reduce risks and prevent disasters before they happen – and risk reduction measures would both play a major role in protecting the most exposed communities.

Executive summary: Alison Freebairn (IFRC)
• Chapter 1 Introduction: Kirsten Hagon (IFRC)
• Chapter 2 Hazards everywhere – climate and disaster trends and impacts: Kirsten Hagon (IFRC),
Vincent Turmine (independent), Guido Pizzini (IFRC), Alison Freebairn (IFRC), Roop Singh (Red Cross Red
Crescent Climate Centre (Climate Centre))
• Chapter 3 Climate as a risk multiplier – trends in vulnerability and exposure: Alison Freebairn (IFRC),
Vincent Turmine (independent), Roop Singh (Climate Centre)
• Chapter 4 Reducing risks and building resilience – minimizing the impacts of potential and predicted
extreme events: Tessa Kelly (IFRC), Catalina Jaime (Climate Centre), Nikolas Scherer (Deutsches Rotes
Kreuz), Kara Siahaan (IFRC)
• Chapter 5 Going green – strengthening the climate and environmental sustainability of response
and recovery operations: Julia Hartelius (Svenska Röda Korset)
• Chapter 6 Climate-smart disaster risk governance – ensuring inclusive and coherent regulatory
frameworks: Tommaso Natoli (IFRC-University College Cork),1 Donna Mitzi Lagdameo (Climate Centre/
UNDRR), Carina Bachofen (Climate Centre), Gabrielle Emery (IFRC Disaster Law Programme/DLP)
• Chapter 7 Smart financing – getting the money where it’s needed most: Sophia Swithern (independent)
• Chapter 8 Looking to the future – conclusion and recommendations: David Fisher (IFRC)

About: IFRC is the world’s largest humanitarian network, comprising 192 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies working to save lives and promote dignity around the world.