33 percent More Disasters

Droughts, Floods, Hurricanes and Biofuel

More humanitarian disasters around the world are occurring as a result of extreme weather and rising food prices.

Devastation caused by droughts, floods and hurricanes prompted 14 out of 15 U.N. “flash appeals” for help last year, up 33% from the previous worst record, according to the U.N. Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, John Holmes.

Disasters are increasing both in intensity and number, Holmes said. “Holmes cited  growing demand for food in China and India, a shift towards more meat-oriented diets and the use of foodstuffs in biofuels as driving what he called a structural change in food prices that put some staples beyond the reach of the poor.”  More…