Aid agencies grapple with climate adaptation in fragile states
Since its last major famine more than a decade ago, Somalia has received well over a billion dollars a year in . But that spending - aimed at meeting immediate basic needs for food and water in the conflict-ravaged Horn of Africa country - has not reduced demands for help, as climate change brings more frequent and severe floods and droughts.
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In countries such as Bangladesh, with strong early warning systems and disaster-reduction mechanisms in place, such efforts have been shown to cut losses by about $7 for each $1 invested. But in the world's most fragile and conflict-affected states - from Somalia to Afghanistan, and Iraq to Chad - systems like this are often missing.
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Scale is another issue. "We can help rehabilitate the water system in Goma, but you cannot ask the ICRC to restore and expand all water systems across the country. We will say we're not equipped to do this," she said.
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The different time horizons of humanitarian groups - focused on meeting short-term needs - and development actors - focused on longer-term aims - are another area that needs attention as groups try to work together, said Manisha Gulati, a global risks and resilience researcher with ODI Global.
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