Climate change is a humanitarian crisis. Every day, the American Red Cross sees the heartbreak of families and communities trying to cope with more intense storms, heavier rainfall, higher temperatures, stronger hurricanes and more devastating wildfires. And for the vulnerable communities who are disproportionately impacted by the increased and virtually chronic frequency of these events, help cannot come soon enough.
There is clear scientific evidence that climate change is occurring. These changes — caused in part by human behavior — are already resulting in more frequent and intense weather events. If left unabated, this will place an unprecedented burden on families and on the resilience of communities.
Helping people prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters has been at the heart of the Red Cross mission since our founding. It is through this lens that we see climate change as a serious and devastating threat for the 21st century.
Our seven Fundamental Principles — humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity and universality — are at the very root of our mission to prevent and alleviate human suffering, and these principles call on the Red Cross to address climate change and the severe impact it has on our communities.
The Red Cross is committed to doing our part to reduce the current and future humanitarian impacts of climate change globally. We will build the resilience of our organization as well as the resilience of the communities and people we serve by adapting our mission delivery and growing our operational capacity to address the heightened impacts and quickened pace of disasters. We will further invest in environmental sustainability through reduction in our carbon footprint and provide our learnings through community climate education and advocacy for those who bear the disproportionate effects of climate change.
We will take these actions in collaboration with our partners and suppliers, with a specific emphasis on working with our International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement colleagues around the world to extend these investments in resilience and sustainability to achieve similar objectives in ways tailored to the distinct needs of Red Cross National Societies as they experience this humanitarian crisis.
In upholding these commitments, we are always guided by our principles of voluntary service and unity — and look forward to continuing to be part of this critical effort to fight climate change and alleviate human suffering for today, and for the generations that follow us.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on social media.