Heatwaves demand a response that is locally grounded, that acts quickly on the basis of data and analysis, and that works in partnerships with local governments, civil society and development actors.
Climate change
Residents of Borena Zone, Ethiopia, who had lost animals to drought in 2024, were provided livestock to rebuild their herds and restore livelihoods. The animals were provided by non-governmental organization, GOAL, with funding from the Ethiopia Humanitarian Fund. Photo: Manuel Morini
The climate crisis is a humanitarian crisis. As humanitarian workers, we see the devastating impacts of every flood, heat wave, drought or super storm. Climate change not only increases humanitarian needs but also hinders response, impacts supply routes and raises commodity prices. And when shocks occur multiple times, climate change necessitates repeated and more agile action.
This reality aligns with recent warnings from the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC): impacts are increasing and there are limits to future adaptation. The IPCC estimates that up to 3.6 billion people live in hotspots of high vulnerability to climate change, largely in Africa, Central and South America, and South Asia.
Since 2006, we have spent an average of 27 per cent from the OCHA-managed Central Emergency Response Fund on extreme weather-related crises each year.
2024 was the hottest year on record, smashing global temperature records and exceeding the 1.5 degree warming target set by the Paris Agreement. Global heating fueled extreme weather events around the world, including drought in Southern Africa, Hurricane Beryl in the Caribbean, and floods in Bangladesh, Nepal and Viet Nam. The events of 2024 are part of a long and alarming trend of increasing climate-related disasters. There was an 800 per cent increase in climate-related needs within humanitarian appeals since the year 2000. The Global Humanitarian Overview 2025 mentions climate as one of the main two drivers of humanitarian needs alongside conflicts.
The Strategic Plan 2023-2026 commits OCHA to a ‘people-centered approach’ and to integrating a response to the climate crisis across all of its core functions. OCHA is promoting climate action through its pooled fund allocations. In 2024, Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) allocated $203.5 million towards early action and rapid response to climate-related disasters, benefiting 11 million people across 31 countries. CERF is also promoting climate-smart humanitarian programming through its underfunded emergencies window, with $10.5 million allocated in 2024 in nine countries. This has been possible with donor support to the CERF Climate Action Account.