There are very few instances in contemporary history of violence, catastrophes, or large-scale social movements confronting the world to the extent that large segments of the populace have abruptly become obsessed with a single existential problem. People gathered around television sets and newspapers in the second half of the 20th century, when it appeared as though nuclear war was imminent.
An Historical Crisis: The COVID-19 Pandemic
What took place:
A hitherto unidentified coronavirus surfaced in Wuhan, China, towards the end of December 2019, causing an outbreak across other Chinese towns. The World Health Organization formally designated it as Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) on February 11, 2020. The virus spread quickly around the world, and on March 11th, a worldwide pandemic was declared.
Why it was important back then and is important now:
For the first time since World War II, a pandemic struck the entire world at the same time, causing medical equipment shortages and overcrowding in hospitals even in industrialized nations. With bodies piling up and improvised morgues erected in parks, this compelled hard choices about who to save. The UN issued a record worldwide appeal in May, asking for $6.71 billion to address the health emergency and new demands brought on by fighting, job losses, food poverty, and halted vaccines. The humanitarian sector has an opportunity as a result of the global reorientation, even though there are still urgent needs. Many believe this might be a turning moment in the way the system functions.
Due to the sharp increase in cases, hospitals are struggling to provide patients with oxygen and beds. According to reports, patients’ families are being forced to seek social media for oxygen equipment and medication due to a shortage of medical supplies.
Food security, public health, employment and labour issues—specifically, the health and safety of workers—converge during the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to address the human aspect of the crisis, it will be imperative that workplace safety and health regulations be followed, as well as that fair employment opportunities and labor rights be protected across all industries. Extending social protection toward universal health coverage and providing financial support for those most impacted should be part of the swift and deliberate action taken to save lives and livelihoods. These include those in the unorganized sector of the economy as well as those in low-wage, poorly protected jobs, including young people and immigrants. Given that women predominate in low-paying occupations and caregiving activities, special attention needs to be given to their circumstances.
A variety of support programs are essential, such as cash transfers, child allowances, nutritious school meals, housing and food relief programs, assistance with finding and keeping a job, and financial support for small and medium-sized businesses. Governments and employers must collaborate closely in the planning and execution of such policies.
Those nations coping with ongoing emergencies or humanitarian crises are most vulnerable to COVID-19’s effects. It is essential to react to the pandemic quickly while making sure that aid for relief and rehabilitation reaches the people who need it most.
Persistent Issue: Climate Change
What took place:
In tandem with industrialization, greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere started to rise in the 1880s, but in recent years, they have exploded. In keeping with this, the planet’s temperature has increased; as of 2019, it is more than 1.1 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial baseline. It’s difficult to say for sure when climate change started to seriously affect humanitarian needs, but over the course of 25 years of disaster reporting, we have already witnessed its devastating effects: climate-related disasters have increased the frequency and severity of life-threatening storms from the Bahamas to the Pacific Islands and from Mozambique to the United States; they have flooded villages, uprooted communities, and driven farmers further into poverty.
It has been addressing the implications of climate change for decades, as stated in 2018 by the vice-president of the International Committee of the Red Cross. We haven’t presented it that way, though.
Why it was important back then and is important now:
The stresses that are now present will get worse due to rising temperatures. In some worst-case scenarios, climate change is predicted to gradually fuel armed conflict, nuclear war, and ecological collapse; it is also predicted to render impoverished countries and areas uninhabitable; in several places, fatal heatwaves will last for more than 100 days a year; and more than a billion people will have to relocate.
However, apocalyptic forecasts ignore the fact that many of the current crises are already exacerbated by climate change. According to UN estimates, over 212 million people may require humanitarian help by 2022—a sharp increase over the 146 million people who were budgeted for in the previous year due to violence and climate change.
As per the UN’s yearly Emissions Gap report, global warming is expected to reach 3.2 degrees Celsius by the end of the century, even if governments accomplish all the emissions reductions they have promised in their policy, which is a significant condition. It falls far short of the 1.5-degree threshold that scientists currently estimate is required to avert the worst effects of climate change.
Due to which, the Earth’s average temperature is expected to climb by 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2040 and possibly by three to five degrees Celsius by 2100 due to the accelerating effects of human-induced global warming, according to recent estimates. Rising sea levels would be closely correlated with increased levels of violence, natural disasters, economic loss, and fatalities than we have ever seen or are even ready for.
By: Hanishree Vichare
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