CARE’s new research shows that if you experience an extreme weather event, that will impact your food security for up to FIVE YEARS. National and local planning are key factors that help people bounce back faster, but the data show that especially at the local level, disaster response planning is not supporting women as well as men. Climate impacts are profoundly unequal—costing women $53 billion more every year than they cost men.
It’s not enough to fund a response that only lasts until flood waters recede or the rains come. We need to think long term, and build systems that will respond quickly, adequately, and for the people who need it most. Between 2020 and 2024, CARE has helped 5.1 million people take action to prepare for and react to climate change. 3.6 million of those people saw changes in their lives because of the way policies and structures changed—influencing people well beyond what CARE and our partners do in our direct programming.
Climate impacts are profoundly unequal—costing women $53 billion more every year than they cost men.
What changed?
- 1.4 million Zimbabweans are better prepared to cope with crisis. The government of Zimbabwe took action on their tool for Multi-Hazard Contingency Planning so that communities can build plans for potential disasters, including the impacts of climate change. CARE partnered with Musasa to find solutions that also protected survivors of gender-based violence during a disaster.
- 2.8 million people in the Philippines are getting clean water. By working with the government in Manila, the team in the Philippines helped build a water quality management plan that helps people in Manila get clean water even in a crisis.
- 888,616 people in Bangladesh took early action for climate impacts. Using forecasts that CARE, RIMES, and several ministries in Bangladesh made available to farmers in flood-prone regions of Bangladesh, people can act to protect themselves before crisis hits. If the trends continue, 2.9 million people could act faster to protect themselves from extreme weather events.
National and local planning are key factors that help people bounce back faster.
What will keep changing in the future?
It’s not just about the impacts we have now. When the systems change, those impacts will continue to grow. So what does that mean for the future?
- More Ethiopians will get clean water without emitting greenhouse gasses. In Ethiopia, after the Boresha project helped demonstrate that solar water pumps helped 60,899 survive a drought, the government decided to scale those pumps, which could help 274,238 people access water once the new pumps are installed—a win for growing food without contributing to climate change.
- 3.4 million Malawians could see a climate response that supports women. CARE worked with the government of Malawi to make sure that the governments position for COP28 included women and looked at women’s needs.
- 189,000 Guatemalans will have local disaster response plans that work for them. Guatemala demonstrated the effectiveness of locally-led disaster response plans for 20,000 people, which convinced the government to scale up the approach nationally.
We need to think long term, and build systems that will respond quickly, adequately, and for the people who need it most.
How did it happen?
- Work with governments all the way from the national to the local level. Once National Government representatives in Zimbabwe participated in developing and validating the disaster planning tool, they engaged their counterparts at the Provincial and District levels to get them on board, establishing further localized ownership.
- Build your work into long-term plans. CARE’s partnership with local ministries and other organizations in Ethiopia led to successfully integrating solar-powered water systems into national development plans. This collaboration facilitated the expansion of water access and garnered government support for the project’s sustainability.
- Help governments build the skills and systems they need. The Bangladesh government lacked human and technical resources for an early warning system. CARE filled the gap by offering technical support, expanding coverage of the forecasting system, and working with communities.
- Get practical, and support governments when they ask for it. CARE was willing to take on specific tasks requested by the Government of Malawi for COP28 negotiations and executed them effectively.
- Build government buy-in. Conducting workshops with officials from six municipalities on disaster risk reduction in Guatemala.
Want to learn more?
Check out Breaking the Barriers to see the new research or stories on CARE Climate Change.