The devastation caused by the earthquake in Haiti was one of the biggest natural disasters ever and the damage caused is beyond comprehension. More than 200,000 people have lost their lives, millions of people are homeless, while hundreds of thousands have lost their livelihood and hundreds of bodies are still lying in the streets. The Haiti earthquake turned the country into a graveyard and is one of the worst disasters ever the United Nations has had to cope with. Countries around the world have dispatched rescue teams and supplies to the disaster zone; indeed this is an instant where humanity should come together.
The UN launched an urgent appeal for US$600 million. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon said that this was a historic disaster and that the organisation has never experienced such a tragedy in its history. He also added that the UN was moving forward with one of the largest relief efforts in its history. The United Nations has warned the international community that Haiti’s capital could quickly descend into chaos if three million hungry and thirsty survivors do not receive emergency aid immediately. These three million people need urgent assistance and, realistically, will need it for many months to come!
When a major earthquake was followed by the tsunami on 26 December 2005, it caused devastation all around the Indian Ocean and as far as the African continent. The scientific earthquake information centre in the US blamed the lack of warning systems in the Indian Ocean to alert the region, which could have saved countless lives. Media reports stated that only 63 people died when an earthquake of the same magnitude as Haiti’s earthquake hit northern California some 21 years ago. Why, then, did 200,000 people die in Haiti? The answer, of course, is that one is a rich country and the other poor! This was a disaster that struck a very poor country with little experience or preparation for such an event.
According to geological science, Haiti’s earthquake happened on a fault system between the North American and Caribbean tectonic plates. Natural disasters arouse feelings of horror and helplessness in all of us. The UN, or the so-called ‘international community’, must do its utmost to help poor countries be better prepared when natural disasters strike. Last December, many people in poor countries in South America, Africa and Asia had centred their aspirations and dreams on the two-week summit in the Danish capital of Copenhagen, in the hope of a major new effort to combat the global warming threat. When the UN together with the leaders of capitalism, presidents and prime ministers went to Copenhagen, each one of them was eager to prove that they cared more about the environment than the rest. But the result of the summit was a political commitment rather than a treaty, and the majority of the countries present just “took note of it” most with disappointment, many with anger. The summit was never about dealing with climate change but rather about protecting the interests of global capitalism in the light of climate change!
The causes of climate change come from capitalism and all have the obligation and the responsibility to think about future generations. Civilizations continuing on a planet whose natural processes are rapidly breaking down! The rich world has been responsible for 70 per cent of the warming gases in the atmosphere – yet 70 per cent per cent of the effects are being felt in the developing world. Rich countries can build dams to prevent their land from flooding, while poor countries like Bangladesh can only drown! Why should the poorest restrain themselves when the rich refuse to do so? Copenhagen was a total failure; by delaying action rich countries have condemned millions of poor people to hunger, suffering and death as the effects of climate change become more real.
Sooner not later all decision makers must come together to take their share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges by strengthening international diplomacy and co-operation between peoples.
Moustafa Megawer
QAWRA