Speaker 1: This is a C. N. A. Podcast.
Speaker 1: The final months of 2022 are upon us. And already
Speaker 1: there's a long list of disasters, devastating floods, historic droughts, wildfires,
Speaker 1: hurricanes and tornadoes,
Speaker 1: and when there's death, destruction and despair, the world's non
Speaker 1: governmental organizations are there to pick up the pieces and
Speaker 1: heal wounds. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red
Speaker 1: Crescent Societies earlier this year already sounded out a warning.
Speaker 1: There's an urgent need from money and support from richer
Speaker 1: nations because the climate crisis has become one big humanitarian crisis.
Speaker 1: Just how urgent is this need and what of NGO
Speaker 1: has been witnessing over the last few years with me
Speaker 1: in the studio today as Benjamin William, the secretary General
Speaker 1: of the Singapore Red Cross. Benjamin, welcome to the climate conversations,
Speaker 2: thank you very much for having
Speaker 1: me
Speaker 1: The Benjamin, you've served as a diplomat for 30 years
Speaker 1: and have been with the Singapore Red Cross for 10
Speaker 1: years now, which must have taken you to many places
Speaker 1: around the world and allows you to see firsthand the
Speaker 1: devastation and human suffering as a result of the impact
Speaker 1: of climate change. From your perspective, how has the world
Speaker 1: changed in the last few years as a result of
Speaker 1: this
Speaker 2: Over the last 10 years being involved in humanitarian work,
Speaker 2: you can see actually whether patterns beginning to change, it
Speaker 2: is not so much that countries are beginning to experience
Speaker 2: whether that they are not used to. But the patterns
Speaker 2: have changed. Let me give you an example, Philippines is
Speaker 2: used to having typhoons, but when Typhoon Haiyan struck Philippines,
Speaker 2: what was not strange was the fact that a typhoon hit,
Speaker 2: but the fact that the path that the typhoon took
Speaker 2: was very different from what the Filipinos are used to.
Speaker 2: So the devastation that it caused was much greater because
Speaker 2: many of the parts that were hit had not been
Speaker 2: used to typhoons and therefore the houses were not built
Speaker 2: to withstand typhoons closer home Malaysia. It's not that Malaysia
Speaker 2: is not used to floods, but I think in the
Speaker 2: last few years the kind of rains that they are
Speaker 2: experiencing during the monsoon season,
Speaker 2: the rapid flooding that is taking place is quite different
Speaker 2: from what you experienced a few years ago. Almost every
Speaker 2: country is now concerned about the change in the weather pattern,
Speaker 2: Not so much in the fact that they are experiencing
Speaker 2: new kind of weather, but how often, how frequent the
Speaker 2: areas that are affected and the extreme of the weather,
Speaker 2: The
Speaker 1: weather patterns, the severity and frequency have changed. As you said,
Speaker 1: how are they impacting your humanitarian work? I wonder has
Speaker 1: it intensified the workload
Speaker 2: 10 years ago when I joined the humanitarian sector, one
Speaker 2: of the catchphrase was that
Speaker 2: the humanitarian challenges facing us are tremendous. 10 years later,
Speaker 2: I think it has multiplied several. For take Afghanistan for example,
Speaker 2: a few months ago, they were suffering from drought. I
Speaker 2: think in august, they were suffering from floods. They had
Speaker 2: the civil unrest, they had the conflict zones and then
Speaker 2: they had Covid.
Speaker 2: So the complexity of the humanitarian challenges have multiplied manifold.
Speaker 2: So you're constantly having to adjust your humanitarian response. Now,
Speaker 2: you take COVID-19 is a pandemic and you might say
Speaker 2: that it's unrelated to climate change,
Speaker 2: but I think it's going to happen more and more.
Speaker 2: I think we won't have to wait another 100 years
Speaker 2: for the next global pandemic with the change in weather patterns.
Speaker 2: Waterborne disease, even diseases like Dengue, we must be wise
Speaker 2: enough to expect the next global pandemic in a much
Speaker 2: shorter period. So it will complicate the humanitarian challenges even further.
Speaker 1: So, Benjamin one phrase you've used in the past is
Speaker 1: that each disaster is unique. If we take the deadly
Speaker 1: flooding in Pakistan for example, a third of the country
Speaker 1: was submerged underwater, 33 million people displaced and damages are
Speaker 1: likely to run into billions of dollars. Have a listen
Speaker 1: to what one flood victim has to say.
Speaker 1: There is nothing left. Some of our young Children were
Speaker 1: left behind and some managed to come with us. We
Speaker 1: could not get anything from our home. We only had
Speaker 1: one goat. It also drowned in the flood. Now we
Speaker 1: have nothing with us and we are lying along the
Speaker 1: road facing hunger.
Speaker 1: So Benjamin, how dire is the situation there,
Speaker 2: one of the challenges that we in the humanitarian sector
Speaker 2: constantly facing in Pakistan now is how to bring clean water.
Speaker 2: So the need for water filtration, simple water filtration. Family size,
Speaker 2: Community size is something that is needed.
Speaker 2: We were just in touch with one of our partners
Speaker 2: who is working on the ground trying to put food
Speaker 2: on the table for 100 families in many crisis. You
Speaker 2: think of one week, two weeks, but I think in
Speaker 2: Pakistan they are now projecting three months because some of
Speaker 2: the areas that have been flooded are fertile agricultural ground,
Speaker 2: So a lot of food resources have been destroyed. You
Speaker 2: imagine 33 million people affected that six times the population
Speaker 2: of Singapore. How do you house them in some disasters
Speaker 2: you can shift populations to schools or community premises, but
Speaker 2: all the schools and community premises are also being inundated
Speaker 2: with water. So they need tents in high ground. But
Speaker 2: even as we look to deal with the immediate needs,
Speaker 2: we have to also bear in mind that medium term
Speaker 2: needs waterborne diseases are on the rise. So you need
Speaker 2: to also think in terms of medical supplies, bring in
Speaker 2: medical teams, Most of these are not in yet because
Speaker 2: of the logistical challenges. I fear this is just the
Speaker 2: tip of the iceberg.
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Speaker 1: I wonder how do you ensure that funding goes to
Speaker 1: the right place? The right people where it's most needed,
Speaker 1: especially when you're dealing with foreign governments.
Speaker 2: This is a very challenging element that we have to
Speaker 2: constantly deal with.
Speaker 2: You quoted me in one of my previous interviews where
Speaker 2: I say every disaster is unique and this element of
Speaker 2: governance and financial management is one area where each situation
Speaker 2: is unique. So if you're dealing with a country scenario
Speaker 2: where you have proper banking systems and credible watchdogs and
Speaker 2: all that, it's so much easier to deal with it.
Speaker 2: So we are constantly having to come up with innovative
Speaker 2: ideas on how to ensure that our funding goes where
Speaker 2: it is supposed to go.
Speaker 2: One thing that we try to minimize is just transferring
Speaker 2: funds to our partners from time to time we do,
Speaker 2: especially in the beginning when relief supplies are needed badly.
Speaker 2: But we normally then twin it with some of our
Speaker 2: team members going down on the ground to ensure that
Speaker 2: the relief items are actually distributed. So in that way
Speaker 2: we minimize
Speaker 2: the risk of leakage of the funding because this is
Speaker 2: one of the questions that a lot of our donors
Speaker 2: ask
Speaker 1: Us. But Benjamin, the reality is the need is greater
Speaker 1: than what the world is giving and many of the
Speaker 1: rich donor countries have been suffering from what they call
Speaker 1: a donor or eight
Speaker 1: fatigue. Would you say it's gotten harder to get their
Speaker 1: attention to get them to help out these days?
Speaker 2: It is a good question. I think the answer is
Speaker 2: a bit more complicated. Take Singapore for example, Singaporeans are
Speaker 2: quite generous when they see a need, especially when the
Speaker 2: images are very reel. They're willing to loosen their purses
Speaker 2: and donate generously.
Speaker 2: And here I'm saying about the cross section of Singapore.
Speaker 2: A lot of money come from institutional giving or donors
Speaker 2: from high net worth individuals. But you will be amazed
Speaker 2: at the general population who take out and give their
Speaker 2: $5.10 and it all adds up. I'm optimistic that fatigue
Speaker 2: set in there.
Speaker 2: I think what is true is that the immediate needs
Speaker 2: will continue to grow. Take, for example, Pakistan let's say
Speaker 2: the immediate needs in terms of food and water is
Speaker 2: say five billion. Where are you going to get the
Speaker 2: five billion? So I think more and more humanitarian organizations
Speaker 2: have to think in terms of how to attract more
Speaker 2: than just their normal donations. You need to,
Speaker 2: in terms of partnerships, we need to think out of
Speaker 2: the box. I am a strong believer in this concept
Speaker 2: of the one billion coalition for resilience. The idea is
Speaker 2: that the humanitarian challenges facing the world are too great
Speaker 2: for one organization, whether it's the red cross or the U. N.
Speaker 2: You really need to bring on board everyone. One billion
Speaker 2: and the one billion
Speaker 2: includes individuals. Includes the private sector includes innovative organizations, civil
Speaker 2: society and that's the only way we're going to be
Speaker 2: able to even mitigate some of the challenges that
Speaker 1: far along are we. Do you
Speaker 2: think? I think we are a long way to go.
Speaker 2: I always like to talk about this anecdote humankind, we
Speaker 2: are very strange.
Speaker 2: We spend billions and trillions of dollars in investment to
Speaker 2: develop weapons that can destroy human beings. But the amount
Speaker 2: that we are willing to invest in mitigating the humanitarian
Speaker 2: challenges facing us are miniscule 10 years ago. What we
Speaker 2: were doing in the humanitarian sector is almost exactly what
Speaker 2: we are doing now with a bit of innovation here
Speaker 2: and there.
Speaker 2: And I dare say we went back 50 years is
Speaker 2: the same thing. So I'm a strong believer that we
Speaker 2: need to put in much more investment into mitigating the
Speaker 2: humanitarian challenges facing us. And I think climate change is
Speaker 2: a good example. If you left the government to deal
Speaker 2: with climate change is never going to happen. And if
Speaker 2: humanitarian organizations only think in terms of responding to a
Speaker 2: crisis after it has happened like Pakistan, it's not sustainable.
Speaker 2: So I believe very strongly that while we think in
Speaker 2: terms of the short term and medium term response to
Speaker 2: climate change and the disasters much more focus will now
Speaker 2: have to go into the long term response to climate
Speaker 2: change
Speaker 2: community preparedness. If the communities in Pakistan had been prepared
Speaker 2: to deal with the flooding, it would have mitigated many
Speaker 2: of the problems that are being faced now. But when
Speaker 2: the floodwaters received in Pakistan, will people be thinking about
Speaker 2: the next flood in two years time and then we
Speaker 2: need to invest more in innovation. We talk about climate
Speaker 2: change and humanitarians are the ones who speak loudest about
Speaker 2: climate change and the disasters,
Speaker 2: but a lot of the things that we bring into
Speaker 2: a disaster site actually add to the problem of pollution
Speaker 2: and all that number of temporary tents just discarded, adding
Speaker 2: to the plastic waste. I think we just need to
Speaker 2: put more into innovation in terms of clean water, sustainable housing,
Speaker 2: solar energy. But there are challenges because when a donor
Speaker 2: gives you $100,000 he wants to know whether $100,000 went
Speaker 2: to the ground. If you tell him that I have
Speaker 2: set aside 20,000 for innovation, he's not going to be happy,
Speaker 2: but I think we need to bring a mindset and
Speaker 2: that is where I think the coalition is important because
Speaker 2: a high tech organization that puts in a lot of
Speaker 2: money into research and development,
Speaker 2: If they can set aside 5% of that for humanitarian mitigation,
Speaker 2: what a change it will bring to the world
Speaker 1: and Benjamin events in Pakistan and other parts of the
Speaker 1: world have certainly highlighted the emerging climate inequality that divides
Speaker 1: the rich carbon emitting world from poor countries that emit
Speaker 1: little but bear the consequences. What other challenges make you
Speaker 1: feel frustrated or worried most right now. And what other
Speaker 1: hurdles do you anticipate as we continue to see more
Speaker 1: climate induced disease
Speaker 1: across the world?
Speaker 2: One of the frustration is always whether you can do
Speaker 2: more Singapore across is a small organization. Singapore is a
Speaker 2: small organization. And so while you think, you know the answers,
Speaker 2: you think you want to do more but your constraint.
Speaker 2: So where do I think we can make a difference
Speaker 2: is maybe to work with Southeast Asia. For example, if
Speaker 2: you can work within Southeast Asia with your partners and
Speaker 2: you can see some change,
Speaker 2: that would be great. I'll give you an example. I'm
Speaker 2: very keen to work with Vietnam Red Cross because Vietnam
Speaker 2: Red Cross has taken on the government's plan to plant
Speaker 2: a billion trees. So Vietnam Red Cross has sort of
Speaker 2: sub contracted that KPI from the government. So I'm very
Speaker 2: keen to get our youth in exchange programs with Vietnam
Speaker 2: Red Cross. Substantively they can say that they have contributed
Speaker 2: towards this KPI but you think about it.
Speaker 2: A lot of our rice production and all that comes
Speaker 2: from countries like Vietnam. So if you improve the climate
Speaker 2: situation in Vietnam, you're actually impacting yourself because we are
Speaker 2: so dependent on everyone right? But at the same time,
Speaker 2: you're also changing the mindset of our young people because
Speaker 2: in Singapore, we still don't feel the impact.
Speaker 2: You look at the situation in Pakistan. We are so
Speaker 2: blessed in Singapore. The rains in Singapore, the same rains
Speaker 2: in kale and kale is flooded and people are stuck
Speaker 2: and all that and here, half an hour later the
Speaker 2: water is drained away. So we need to get our
Speaker 2: young people to understand
Speaker 2: that climate change is their responsibility
Speaker 1: and Benjamin in having led SRC for nearly a decade now,
Speaker 1: what's your wish for the planet?
Speaker 2: Which is facing
Speaker 1: possibly the hardest challenge, hardest test in the form of
Speaker 1: climate change
Speaker 2: Over the last 10, 11 years or so, the first
Speaker 2: part was about improving our disaster response. I mean in
Speaker 2: terms of international right?
Speaker 2: But we have pivoted a bit, we still want to
Speaker 2: improve our disaster response. We continue to train our volunteers,
Speaker 2: we continue to improve our systems and processes, but we
Speaker 2: want to do more and more capacity building. My goal
Speaker 2: for Singapore across is to make a significant difference globally
Speaker 2: and regionally. But to have a national Impact,
Speaker 2: let me explain, I want to see Singapore across being
Speaker 2: instrumental in increasing the capacity in the national societies in
Speaker 2: Southeast Asia.
Speaker 2: We launched an initiative called the Center of Excellence for
Speaker 2: pandemic preparedness because my view for example, which covid 19
Speaker 2: showed when a pandemic strikes the region,
Speaker 2: nobody is safe until everybody is safe. So at a
Speaker 2: regional and global level internationally, I want to see Singaporean
Speaker 2: across making a significant difference and I think the significant
Speaker 2: difference that we can make is to help in capacity building,
Speaker 2: especially in the areas where we have knowledge and expertise
Speaker 2: and then to help the coalesce Southeast Asia to work
Speaker 2: together to tackle some of these major challenges. Disaster pandemics,
Speaker 2: climate change,
Speaker 1: that's a great vision and I really appreciate your time
Speaker 1: coming in here and speaking to us. I wish you
Speaker 1: the best of luck with the life saving work that
Speaker 1: you and your team do. Thank you very much for
Speaker 1: coming in today.
Speaker 2: Thank you. Thank you for having
Speaker 1: me.
Speaker 1: Thanks to my guest, Benjamin William and thanks to all
Speaker 1: of you for tuning in, We hope you enjoyed this episode.
Speaker 1: Do remember to subscribe and like this podcast. So, you know,
Speaker 1: when a new episode drops, you can find CNN's climate
Speaker 1: and sustainability coverage online at sienna dot asia. The team
Speaker 1: behind this podcast is Joanne, chan Jacqueline, chan Danieli and
Speaker 1: Christina robert and I'm julie you signing off