Natural disasters globally are set to increase by 37 percent from 442 to 541 occurrences in the next three years (by 2025), according to a Fair Tech Institute whitepaper released by Access Partnership – a leading global public policy firm for the technology sector.
This projection is based on the simple average of five-year percentage changes in natural disaster frequencies over the past two decades, within each region.
Again, research revealed that the number of recorded natural disasters more than doubled between 1980 and 1984 and between 2015 and 2019, a trend likely to continue in the next decade.
According to the whitepaper, this increased frequency of natural disasters is set to overwhelm National Emergency Telecommunications Plans (NETPs) and terrestrial service providers currently in place to minimise and mitigate the human and economic cost of adverse weather events.
The whitepaper emphasised that satellite technology could be crucial to averting this situation and saving human life in low and middle-income countries like Ghana, if governments and the private sector can invest in and leverage satellite technology for more effective disaster management efforts.
Senior policy manager of Access Partnership, Ivan Suarez said: “Putting in place satellite services and next-generation satellite-enabled connectivity can mean the difference between saving millions of lives and losing them”.
Providing unique data, the document forecasted the economic impact and future burden countries will face if disaster communications planning is not taken seriously.
Furthermore, the paper indicated that, currently, natural disasters cost the agricultural sector of developing economies more than US$108billion in damaged crop and livestock production. Should the level of financing in climate adaptability remain low, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) estimates that climate change adaptation and natural disaster damages could cost developing countries a range of US$280billion to US$500billion per year by 2050.
To reduce the socioeconomic impact of climate-related disasters, governments are encouraged to increase investment in physical and social infrastructure and allow for the upscaling and acceleration of far-reaching, transformational adaptation strategies. This includes the effective use of satellite networks and next-generation satellite technology.
“As shown by this study, we need a concerted effort to fix the underlying inefficiencies of our current existing communication systems. The paper highlights that the availability of communication networks is directly related to the ability to respond quickly to emergencies,” Suarez proposed.
The whitepaper emphasised the need for the development of emergency telecommunication plans (NETPs), given the crucial role telecoms can play in saving lives and protecting communities when disasters strike.
The whitepaper comes after organisations like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, Vision of Humanity and the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) all agreed that weather-related disasters are likely to become more frequent and widespread in coming years due to climate change.
