From disasters to conflicts: tackling the impact on people and planet

This week, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck south-eastern Türkiye and northern Syria, killing at least 7,700 people – a number that is expected to rise in the coming days. Meanwhile, Pakistan is still grappling with the aftermath of last year’s floods that left nearly 2,000 people dead and 8 million homeless. And deadly conflicts continue in Ukraine, Ethiopia, Yemen and other regions.

Evidence shows that climate change is exacerbating the threat to global peace and security. In the last two decades, the world has witnessed more than 2,500 disasters and 40 major conflicts that have impacted an estimated 2 billion people. As United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said in his landmark state of the planet speech: “The fallout of the assault on our planet is impeding our efforts to eliminate poverty and imperilling food security. And it is making our work for peace even more difficult, as the disruptions drive instability, displacement and conflict.”

Since its creation in 1994, the UN Environment Programme’s (UNEP’s) Disaster and Conflict Branch has worked with Member States to respond to natural disasters, industrial accidents and conflicts. We sat down with Cecilia Aipira, Branch Chief, to learn more about the impact of conflicts in an increasingly globalized world and what can be done to improve disaster recovery.

When disasters or conflicts strike, how does UNEP respond? 

Cecilia Aipira (CA): Firstly, through the UNEP/Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Joint Unit, which works on the environmental dimensions of emergencies. This unit embeds an environment specialist within the UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination unit to address environmental issues right from the start. You cannot bring in the environment at the end of the process because all disasters have huge environmental ramifications that we need to get ahead of.

Secondly, we deploy branch team members to support the environmental impact analysis of a crisis. In the case of the Pakistan floods, we conducted a post-disaster needs assessment under an agreement between the UN, the World Bank and the European Union. Our job is also to provide technical assistance to national governments, affected communities and UN systems in analyzing and addressing the environmental drivers and impact of crises.

Our priority is to bring relief to the affected environment and communities. We do this by finding nature-based solutions that reduce the risks of disasters, or cleaning up contaminated sites or building back greener. Our environment security work also seeks to restore and protect resources (including transboundary) for peacebuilding. For example, we are collaborating with UN Operations in Somalia to integrate the environment into peace and security.

According to initial impact monitoring conducted by UNEP, the conflict in Ukraine could leave the country and region with a toxic legacy for generations to come. Can you elaborate on this?

CA: It is important to understand that Ukraine was already burdened by a host of legacy environmental challenges before, and this conflict has either exacerbated existing issues or added new ones. Ukraine is a highly industrialized country with well-developed chemical, mining and agriculture infrastructure. Damage to these facilities releases pollutants into the water, air and soil, which could last for decades to come. Chemical contamination doesn't always stay within the country. Air pollution can travel, and water pollution can impact neighbouring countries. So, not only do we have to understand the impact of the conflict in Ukraine, we also have to look at the environmental impact within the region.

The conflict in Ukraine has had a cascading effect, such as food shortages in other parts of the world. How can a conflict or a disaster in one region have a global impact?

CA: The conflict in Ukraine has really brought to the fore the interconnectedness of our globalized world and how dependent many developing countries are on external actors for their food security. Ukraine and Russia combined are some of the largest producers and suppliers of wheat and maize as well as the largest producers of fertilizer. The repercussions of the conflict have, and will continue to, reverberate across the world. Ukraine is projected to reduce its agricultural production by 20 per cent in 2023. This reduction, combined with global fertilizer shortages, the current energy crisis, and increasing cost of living, could create a perfect storm for a colossal food crisis for fragile countries.

We know that disasters and conflicts often impact women disproportionately. What is UNEP doing to address this?

CA: We tend to see women as victims of conflicts and disasters and that is, indeed, true. But women are also great custodians of natural resources, and therefore women can play an outsized role in risk reduction and restoration of the environment. So, focusing our efforts on women when designing and implementing nature-based solutions projects makes so much sense. In one of our projects in Uganda, for example, we see that partnering with women brings so many other co-benefits. This resulted in the transformation of entire communities by increasing the number of children going to school and improving livelihoods and food security.

What is the relationship between disasters and conflicts and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?

CA: Disaster risk reduction and peace and security are absolutely necessary to achieve all the SDGs. Every single one of the SDGs, be it poverty reduction, better health, zero hunger, sustainable cities, and gender equality, cannot be effectively achieved if there is no peace. We also know that a single disaster can wipe out a huge chunk of economic gains in a single day. Take COVID-19, for example. This is one global disaster that reversed the trajectory of human development and pushed a large proportion of the world population into poverty. The effects of which are still being felt today. Investing in climate and disaster risk reduction is therefore a must for achieving the SDGs.

What is the key to dealing with disasters and conflict?  

CA: For me, environmental management boils down to people. We are the cause of the climate crisis. We are the cause of environmental degradation. We are the cause of conflicts. In fact, in disaster risk reduction, we say there are no such things as natural disasters, only natural hazards. It’s the interface between a hazard and humans that create a disaster. That tells me that people have to be intrinsically linked to all the solutions we support at UNEP. I hope to leave the branch where we can craft a balanced relationship between safeguarding the environment and addressing human needs for sustainable development and peace.