(MENAFN) In the lead-up to the UN COP30 climate conference, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) issued a stark warning that the accelerating climate emergency is increasingly turning into a global humanitarian disaster, according to reports released Tuesday.

"The climate crisis is also a humanitarian crisis," said Ninni Ikkala Nyman, the IFRC’s climate change lead, speaking to reporters in Geneva. She noted that Red Cross and Red Crescent workers are confronting daily challenges from "more frequent floods, droughts, heatwaves and storms" that endanger lives, livelihoods, and access to essentials like food, water, and healthcare.

Nyman pointed to last month’s devastating Hurricane Melissa as a clear example of worsening climate extremes. She said that preparedness measures and early response efforts had provided "valuable time to build shelters, evacuate people out of harm’s way, preposition aid and help to prepare communities" for the unprecedented category 5 storm.

Following the disaster, the IFRC launched emergency appeals for Cuba and Jamaica—two of the hardest-hit countries—and called for additional international assistance to support their recovery. Nyman warned that Melissa’s "violent and rapid intensification needs to be a wake-up call," underscoring that global warming is making tropical storms both stronger and less predictable.

She also highlighted the humanitarian fallout of other recent climate-related crises, including catastrophic monsoon floods in Pakistan, severe drought in Somalia, and widespread wildfires across Europe, including Türkiye.

At COP30, which begins Thursday in Belem, Brazil, the IFRC plans to press for action in three key areas: protecting human health and wellbeing, investing in communities, and prioritizing prevention and early intervention before disasters occur.

"Heat waves already kill almost half a million people each year, yet only 0.5 per cent of adaptation finance goes to health programs," Nyman emphasized, urging investment in climate-resilient healthcare systems.

She cautioned that less than 10% of adaptation funding reaches local communities and that, with the global commitment to double such financing expiring this year, "the gap is still widening."

"Without urgent action to strengthen local resilience, humanitarian needs will continue to rise," she concluded.

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