One third of Bangladesh is being impacted by the flooding going on there; over 2 million people have been directly impacted. The same monsoon season is taking a terrible toll in India and Nepal; 550 lives have been lost so far, with hundreds more people missing.
This news, of course, should motivate us to double (probably quadruple) our climate change mitigation efforts, but more immediately we need to equip people with the early warning systems and basic infrastructure that can save lives that would otherwise be lost the next time floods and landslides hit (and they will hit).
Here’s a quote (via the guardian) from the UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, Mark Lowcock:
“If we know a flood is about to hit, why wouldn’t we give river communities the means to get themselves, their livestock and their tools out of harm’s way before the deluge comes, instead of waiting until they’ve lost everything, then try and help?”
He’s dead right.