‘Preparedness for climate change’ Phase 2' (PfCC-2), Understanding and addressing the risks of climate change

The Red Cross/Red Crescent’s answer to a changing climate

Climate change is one of the main global issues of the 21st century, and will severely affect the Red Cross/Red Crescent. Scientists project an unprecedented warming of the earth leading, amongst other things, to an increase of extreme weather events like floods and droughts, more intense hurricanes, the spread of diseases like malaria and dengue, and sea level rise. Tens of millions of people, in particular in developing countries, will be affected every year. According to the World Meteorological Organization the year 2009 was the fifth warmest since records began in 1850. For large parts of Southern Asia and Africa it is likely to be the warmest year on record. The decade of the 2000’s (2000-2009) was the hottest decade on record. 

In 2002, the Netherlands Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) established the Red Cross/Red Crescent Climate Centre. The RC/RC Climate Centre supports the Federation, National RC/RC Societies and their partners in understanding and addressing the risks of climate change. It facilitates the cooperation between RC/RC and climate scientists and policy makers, in order to improve programmes, research and policies that will strengthen the resilience of vulnerable people. The RC/RC Climate Centre is based in the Netherlands, but serves the whole RC/RC movement, especially in developing countries.

For step to step guidance to the 'Preparedness for climate change programme' (PfCC), please visit our 2010 web-based guide.

Second phase of the Programme

The second phase of the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre’s programme to help National Societies address the humanitarian impacts of climate change and variability concluded in June 2011, with international disaster managers worldwide reporting climate-related risks now increasingly included in regular planning and programming. In total, more than 50 plans by Red Cross Red Crescent National Societies or International Federation offices now mention climate risk. “Climate change is set to profoundly alter the way we live,and how we seek and share economic growth,” according to Strategy 2020 of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). “These trends,” it adds, “are likely to increase vulnerability on a large scale by heightening and creating new patterns of marginalization, impoverishment and insecurity.” It was this vulnerability that the two Preparedness for Climate Change programmes (“PfCC”), funded by the Netherlands government, were designed to address. Through them, 64 National Societies educated themselves, their staff, and their volunteers about the likely humanitarian impacts of climate change and variability. They thought through how these impacts might affect their most vulnerable populations and the need for their own humanitarian services. In the process, societies drew on the expertise of local partners and knowledge centres, building a base for future collaboration. This laid the foundations for “climate-smart” disaster risk reduction (DRR) – an important form of climate change adaptation (CCA) for the Red Cross Red Crescent. 

The following documents were produced rounding up the programme:

• Full-colour brochure (pdf, 804 kB) containing the highlights of the programme (2006-2011).
• An evaluation (pdf, 437 kB) containing both a quantitative research and an in-depth research on the quality of the programme.
• A paper, recognizing the hard work of these National Societies by featuring some of the many actions they have taken.

First phase of the Programme

An evaluation of the first phase of the Preparedness for Climate Change programme was undertaken in 2009. Click below to read a summary of this evaluation, including National Society activities as a result of the programme and recommendations for future work:

In English (pdf, 2 MB)
In French (pdf, 2 MB)
In Spanish (pdf, 1 MB) 

For the 2010 step to step guidance to the 'Preparedness for climate change programme please visit this page: 2010 web-based guide.