By the Climate Centre

IFRC Secretary General Jagan Chapagain has outlined plans to mobilize 530 million euros through the Global Climate Resilience Platform for urban preparedness work on extreme heat, aiming to reach 100 million people in 100 cities by 2027.

This would include heat-action plans, shock-responsive social protection, and nature-based solutions that help communities adapt and reduce risks, he told a high-level COP 29 panel on the inter-agency Early Warnings for All (EW4All) initiative.

“Rising extreme heat is a threat to people and the planet. We need to respond to it now and reform and reimagine the way we approach it in the future,” according to an update this month on the two-year-old platform, which has so far raised more than a quarter of a million euros.

The platform is an ambitious five-year framework aiming to raise more than 1 billion euros in total to build locally-led climate resilience globally – “and it’s already making a real difference to millions of people”, according to the update from the IFRC, which leads on preparedness in EW4All, one of four pillars.

“From satellites to sandbags, we’re building a seamless line of defence against climate risks,” Chapagain told the gathering. “Technology brings us early warnings from above, but it’s the communities on the ground [that] truly make these systems work.”

The high-level meeting convened the lead agencies of all four pillars: the World Meteorological Organization, the UN Office on Disaster Risk Reduction, the International Telecommunications Union and the IFRC, as well as governments, humanitarian and environmental organizations, the private sector and others.

‘From satellites to sandbags, we’re building a seamless line of defence against climate risks’

 

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who convened the event, in his remarks noted the increasing intensity of heatwaves: “[2024] is on track to be the hottest year in the history books. It has scorched countries and communities with temperatures that push the limits of human endurance.

“And around the world, we’ve seen record rains and hurricanes, historic fires, and deadly droughts. In this era of climate catastrophe, early warning systems and protection from extreme heat are not luxuries; they are necessities.”

The IFRC and National Societies are well placed to play a key role in the EW4ALL, Chapagain concluded, with their mission “to connect global resources with local action so that every community, no matter how remote, is prepared for what lies ahead.”

Development and Climate Days was held last Sunday, meanwhile, as usual over the middle weekend of the COP talks. It explored ways of ensuring climate funds reach those most in need, the level of ambition needed to limit global warming, and ideas for “transformational adaptation”.

“It created a safe space for the uncomfortable yet necessary conversations about the challenges of inaction and shifting the status quo,” according to a summary by the International Institute for Environment and Development, among the organizing partners, along with the Climate Centre, the Climate Justice Resilience Fund, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, and the World Bank.

The Red Cross Red Crescent hopes to play a key role in Early Warnings for All initiative, spearheaded by the UN, taking advantage of the Movement’s ability to connect global resources with local action. (Image: IFRC)

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