Extreme weather affects half a billion people each year

In the wake of unprecedented flooding across the world, humanitarian agencies are appealing for immediate help and warning that serious planning efforts must be made to mitigate disasters, given the likelihood of increasing devastation from the effects of global warming.

The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said, “Severe flooding has affected tens of millions of people around the world in recent weeks and months, including Bangladesh, China, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sudan. From Dhaka to Khartoum, officials say they are seeing the heaviest rains in decades and, in some cases, recent memory.”

The federation estimates that 35 million people have been affected in South Asia, while a “staggering” 200 million people have been affected by the floods in China.

Not only have millions of people been displaced, …