Christian Aid, Tearfund Warn G8 Politicians of Climate Change Dangers

|PIC1|A coalition of relief and development agencies like Christian Aid and Tearfund will warn 600 delegates to the 'UN 3rd World Conference on Disaster Reduction' in Geneva this week of the dangers of climate change impacts.

While G8 leaders meet in Germany to debate global climate change, the agencies will warn delegates of the UN Disaster Reduction Conference, held 5-7 June, in Switzerland that "unless urgent preventative action is taken by governments, climate change will worsen the impact of disasters on millions of the world's most vulnerable people."

In addition, the aid agencies state that not enough progress has been made in boosting vulnerable communities' and countries' resilience to disasters since the World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Kobe, Japan, 2005, which agreed the 'Hyogo Framework for Action, 2005-2015'.

The NGOs, including Christian Aid, Tearfund, Action Aid, Practical Action & Plan, state: "With G8 leaders meeting a day's drive up the road in Heiligendamm, we have a rare opportunity to simultaneously confront politicians from those same G8 countries, and many others, to take more action to reduce disaster risk and vulnerability faced by millions of people around the world.

"Governments - whether at the G8 debating global temperatures, or at the UN discussing disasters - have a moral obligation to take tough and long-lasting action this week."

Speaking for the coalition, Marcus Oxley of Tearfund said: "This conference is a unique opportunity for governments to make a lasting difference. While the aid agencies will continue to make the most of the resources they have available, much more can be achieved if governments implement the Hyogo Framework for Action drawn up two years ago in Kobe. But time is ticking away if the Hyogo Framework is to be achieved by 2015."