Around the world, Norwegian Church Aid and partner organisations are witnessing small changes in the climate, that together paint a frightening picture. Rainfall and temperatures are no longer what they previously were.
An increase in frequency of drought, heat, storms and floods can be observed in many parts of the world.
Climate change may also become a threat to the livelihoods of those of us lucky enough to live in the richest countries in the world, but the changes hit hardest in places where people have few resources that can be used to adapt to the changes. The world’s poor will become the first victims of the greenhouse gases emissions of the rich.
An uncertain future
Nobody can predict exactly how the world’s climate will develop. The changes that we are witnessing today are the consequences of emissions made many years ago, and the changes to result from today’s emissions will be felt only 10-20 years from now.
The dramatic impacts, however, are already evident. Projects by Norwegian Church Aid have in recent years intensified the efforts to combat the causes as well as the dramatic consequences of climate change. These efforts can be divided into three main categories:
- Norwegian Church Aid works to reduce the vulnerability of individuals and local communities in the face of an increasing number of natural disasters, like cyclones, floods and droughts. At the same time, Norwegian Church Aid puts a lot of effort into strengthening the ability of poor people to adapt to the effects of climate change.
- Norwegian Church Aid also works to promote renewable energy sources and increase the availability of electricity and energy in project areas in poor countries.
• Norwegian Church Aid’s efforts against climate change are also fought through political initiatives directed towards Norwegian authorities and international organizations. You can read more about this work here.