KEYNOTE ADDRESS MADE BY THE DIRECTOR GENERAL, NATIONAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY (NEMA). ALHAJI MUHAMMAD SANI SIDI, AT THE REGIONAL WORKSHOP ON CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION AND DISASTER RISK MANAGEMENT IN NIGERIA, HOLDING AT SHUKURA CORAL HOTEL, SOKOTO 14TH - 16TH JUNE, 2011.
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Climate change remains a very topical issue, globally and locally. Given its wide array of impacts on vital sectors of the economy and considerable implications for humanitarian and development efforts generally, this is to be expected.
The inevitability of changes occurring to the climate is now a well-established reality. Just last month, the International Energy Agency (IEA) published estimates which show that greenhouse gas emissions in 2010 were at their highest level in history. This should be taken as a “wake-up call” for the international community, especially the developing countries, who suffer most from the impacts of climate related hazards.
United Nations estimate indicates that nine out of every ten disasters are now climate related. Scientific evidence has shown that as a result of climate change, extreme weather events like floods, windstorms, droughts and epidemics have become more frequent and severe. They occur in areas where they were previously either unknown or extremely rare. For us in developing world, climate change portends greater danger. For instance, the World Bank reckons that losses from disasters can be up to 20 times greater as a percentage of gross domestic products in developing countries than in industrialized nations, while over 95 per cent of all disaster related deaths occur in developing countries. This is grim and unacceptable.
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