Initial climate estimates show that 2013 is likely to be the hottest year in decades. Marked in the temperate zone by numerous unseasonal phenomena and major floods, 2013 was also a year of extreme climatic events. These disruptions are having a violent impact on the most vulnerable populations in the poorest countries, whether in the Sahel, the Horn of Africa or Mozambique. The links between climate disruption and conflict are well established.
These worrying developments are obviously raising questions for humanitarian actors, both in terms of the interpretation of their mandate and the way in which they operate. Having been campaigners from the outset to give voice to the most vulnerable in the face of human and natural violence, they now have a duty to take account of the environmental origins of such violence. But aren’t some of the vulnerabilities we are fighting on the battlefields of crisis the result of our lifestyles and consumption patterns? And if so, what are we doing about it?
A number of initiatives are beginning to emerge, with ambitions that are both different and complementary. Much remains to be done and the humanitarian sector certainly has a lot to learn from other sectors. It is not impossible that it also has a lot to give because of its proximity to those most affected by global disruption. We therefore felt it was important to take stock of these developments by giving the floor to a number of humanitarian actors involved in these issues: that’s the aim of this special “Environment” issue.
