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联合国儿童基金会表示:随着厄尔尼诺现象的增强,儿童的生命受到威胁

2015-11-10

(Foreground) a child and an elderly man stand on the roof of a dwelling damaged Cyclone Pam, on Ifira Island, just off the coast of the main island of Efate. On 25 March 2015 in Vanuatu, 166,000 people remain affected following the destruction caused by Tropical Cyclone Pam, which hit the South Pacific island nation on 13 March. Nearly 60,000 of them are children. The Category 5 storm damaged infrastructure and disrupted key services, putting children’s health, safety and education at risk. Power, water supply and other critical infrastructure have been affected across the archipelago, including in Port Vila, the capital, on Efate Island. Health and other vital services in many areas have also been disrupted, including access to safe drinking water and sanitation facilities, leading to increased risk of water- and vector-borne diseases. Many homes and schools have also been damaged or destroyed. At least 70,000 school-aged children are out of school; and early childhood centres, schools, churches and community halls are serving as evacuation centres and as emergency shelters. Working with the Government and partners, including other United Nations organizations, UNICEF is supporting water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), health, education, nutrition, protection and other critical services in affected communities. UNICEF, with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ministry of Health, is also coordinating a measles-rubella prevention campaign in the country – where immunization rates are low, and which experienced a measles outeak in early March. UNICEF is also supporting communities on Tuvalu and Solomon Island, which have also been affected by Tropical Cyclone Pam.
© UNICEF/NYHQ2015-0512/Sokhin
2015年3月,瓦努阿图遭颱风「帕姆」吹袭,一名儿童和一个老人家正站在遭破坏的建筑物屋顶上。
纽约/日内瓦/香港,2015年11月10日—联合国儿童基金会周二警告,受厄尔尼诺影响,仅非洲东部及南部地区就有多达1,100万儿童面临饥饿、疾病和缺水的风险。此现象亦导致亚洲、太平洋和拉丁美洲部分地区出现旱灾及氾滥。
联合国儿童基金会在《厄尔尼诺现象对儿童的影响 — 警钟已经敲响》报告(只提供英文版本)中指出,受影响的社区在农作物失收和饮用水缺乏时,若得不到支援,当地儿童将营养不良,並受到致命疾病的威胁,厄尔尼诺现象造成的后果可能波及数代人。
除了死亡和受伤等即时威胁,厄尔尼诺现象还可能导致疾病的显着增加,如疟疾、登革热、腹泻和霍乱。这些疾病都是儿童的主要杀手。当极端天气剥夺了社区的生计,幼儿常会患上营养不良,使他们患病的风险增加,智力发展迟缓,甚至过早死亡。
联合国儿童基金会执行主任安东尼‧雷克说:「儿童和他们的社区需要我们帮助,以便从厄尔尼诺的影响中恢復过来,並准备好应对此现象将带来的进一步破坏。与此同时,这种现象的强度和潜在破坏力,也为到巴黎参与会议的全球领导人敲响警钟。在讨论限制全球暖化合约的议题上,他们应该考虑到,如今的儿童及他们所承袭的星球,都面临着岌岌可危的未来。」
各国领导人将参加于11月30日至12月11日期间在巴黎举行的联合国第21届气候大会,亦即第二十一次缔约方会议(COP21)举行。大会将致力于达成一项全球化、具有约束力的协议,旨在通过削减温室气体排放限制全球暖化。
厄尔尼诺不是由气候变化导致,但是科学家认为受气候变化的影响,厄尔尼诺现象将愈趋严重。面临气候变化重大威胁,许多国家也受是次厄尔尼诺现象冲击的国家。许多受影响地区普遍贫穷。
这种气候现象正以有史以来最强的强度出现,很可能造成洪水氾滥和旱灾,加剧太平洋的颱风和旋风。如果厄尔尼诺像预测的那样,在未来数月裏继续增强,受影响的地区还会继续增多。
部分受厄尔尼诺影响最大的国家包括:
- 索马里:由于农作物失收和缺乏食物,多达300万人都需要接受援助。严重的洪水还会使情况加剧。
- 埃塞俄比亚:该国正面临30年一遇的大旱灾,820万人因此食不果腹,约35万名儿童急需营养援助。
- 印尼:厄尔尼诺加剧了泥炭和森林火灾的影响。据当地政府统计,仅八、九月期间,就有27.2万人患上了急性唿吸道感染,儿童患者佔其中的大多数。
- 太平洋国家:厄尔尼诺威胁400多万人的食物和饮水需求。
- 中美洲:厄尔尼诺还导致中美洲出现了史上最严重的旱情。危地马拉、洪都拉斯及萨尔瓦多三国共有350万人受旱灾影响。
- 秘鲁:政府预计约有110万人,包括40万名儿童及青少年将受到影响。
- 厄瓜多尔:权威机构认为会有150万人面临危机,其中半数都是儿童。
厄尔尼诺受太平洋暖流影响,每2至7年出现一次。这一现象对世界各地的天气模式产生深远的影响。
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