Climate Emergency Appeal
Climate change is causing widespread devastation across the world with an increase in extreme weather events such as storms, floods and drought impacting people worldwide.
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Up to 132 million people
could be pushed into extreme poverty in the next decade
Up to 250,000 additional deaths per year
could be caused by climate change between 2030-2050
The rate of climate disasters has doubled
in small island developing nations over the past decade
Storms, droughts and floods
are increasing in frequency and intensity
What your support can help to provide:
Emergency Shelter
Access to Clean Water
Food and Other Essentials
Disaster Risk Reduction Training
The climate crisis is no longer an abstract idea of a possible future, it is happening now and the impacts are being felt by some of the most vulnerable people on the planet. Climate change will impact us all, but the poor have been the first to suffer.
Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent as global temperatures rise due to climate change. This means more frequent and stronger storms, longer and more protracted droughts, increased risk of bushfires, inundation and flooding due to sea level rise and storms, all of which can mean disaster for vulnerable communities.
Your donation can support communities vulnerable to the impacts of climate change to prepare, respond and recover from disaster.
Climate change is happening now and to all of us. No country or community is immune. And, as is always the case, the poor and vulnerable are the first to suffer and the worst hit.
Stories from the front lines of the climate crisis
Pakistan Floods
In 2022, Pakistan faced the worst flooding in its history. 33 million people were impacted with 116 out of 160 districts declaring a state of emergency. Due to climate change a dangerous combination of factors combined to create the perfect storm for deadly flooding in Pakistan:
- Some of the highest ever recorded temperatures earlier that year
- A damaging drought which hardened the soil
- Highest recorded rainfall in decades
The combination of parched, hardened soil, followed by an immediate, brutal rainfall meant that the ground was unable to absorb and contain the water. This climate catastrophe has led to floods on an unprecedented scale.
Climate change and extreme poverty
Natural disasters driven by climate change can cause widespread devastation to communities already dealing with the challenges of extreme poverty. People who live in communities with poor infrastructure and inadequate health care are particularly vulnerable to natural disasters. Between 1998-2018, 91% of storm-related fatalities were recorded in low- or middle-income countries.
In the immediate aftermath of a disaster, people without access to clean water may risk contracting waterborne diseases. Mass hospitalisations can also put enormous strain on a country’s health system, leaving vulnerable communities without access to essential health care.
East Africa Food Crisis
Over 81.6 million people are facing high acute food insecurity across eastern Africa. The region is facing multiple challenges at once, exacerbated by drought and flooding. Approximately 7 million children under 5 years are acutely malnourished in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia - this includes more than 1.7 million with severe acute malnutrition.
Extreme weather events increasing
Extreme weather events and climate emergencies have increased in frequency, intensity and severity over the past two decades, hitting vulnerable communities disproportionately hard, according to the United Nations.
Environmental changes affect everyone – but for vulnerable, marginalised communities, the impact of natural disasters can drive communities further into poverty. In low-lying communities, rising sea levels are threatening to submerge entire villages, forcing people to relocate. Destructive cyclones, floods and earthquakes are devastating countries in Asia and the Pacific. Prolonged droughts, exacerbated by environmental changes, have led to food shortages in many parts of Africa.
LATEST NEWS
On the front lines of the climate emergency in Bangladesh
We arrived in Bangladesh after the country had been grappling with a severe heatwave. The temperature had regularly been in the mid-40s, and when combined with the high humidity it had felt even hotter on the ground. The extreme weather conditions have impacted our partners at Caritas Bangladesh who were unable to do their work for several days. We were also informed that across the country people had died, including some school students.
Caritas Australia launches its Laudato Si Action Plan, encouraging a “ripple effect of change”
The Laudato Si’ Action Plan of The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, launched in May 2023, identified Caritas Australia as a contributing organisation for the delivery of the anticipated Plenary Council Decree on “Integral Ecology and Conversion for the Sake of our Common Home”.
Act now for a safer world for all
Threats to our world are intensifying - dangerous weather, increased wars and soaring inequality.
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Where does my donation go?
The funds you donate to this appeal go to Caritas Australia’s Emergency Response Fund and will be used to provide humanitarian assistance to communities affected by this crisis. Should circumstances prevent us from delivering aid to this emergency, or if excess funds remain after the crisis, donations will be directed to other emergencies where Caritas has humanitarian operations.