JAKARTA - Every August 19, the international community commemorates World Humanitarian Day. World Humanitarian Day was first inaugurated in 2009. The election of August 19 refers to the bomb attack on August 19, 2003, at the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, Iraq, which killed 22 people, including the senior UN official in Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello.
According to CNN, Sergio Vieira de Mello was trapped in the rubble for several hours before he died and at least 100 people were injured. A UN official in New York said some of the bodies were difficult to retrieve and trapped in the rubble. A large number of burned bodies made it difficult to identify them and DNA tests were needed to identify the dead.
Looking at the location of the bomb, it is clear that Vieira de Mello was the target of the attack. The bombings continued the pattern of attacks often carried out at the time in Iraq against non-military targets that were easier to target in Iraq.
Short biography of Sergio Vieira de Mello, he was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1948, Sergio Vieira de Mello joined the United Nations in 1969 while studying philosophy and humanities at the University of Paris. Vieira de Mello started his career at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR) based in Geneva.
He has also served in humanitarian and peacekeeping operations in Bangladesh, Sudan, Cyprus, Mozambique, and Peru. Vieira de Mello assumed his first high-profile position in 1981 when he was appointed Senior Political Adviser to UN forces in Lebanon. He later held several high positions at UNHCR. Sergio Vieira de Mello truly dedicated his whole life to the United Nations.
Vieira de Mello's death leaves deep sorrow as he has played a major role in serving some of the world's most challenging humanitarian situations. He reaches out to victims of armed conflict who are not in the spotlight, relieves the suffering of the victims, and draws the attention of high-ranking officials to take the conflict seriously.
Victims of armed conflict he has rescued say they lost a humanitarian leader of unmatched courage, drive, and empathy. This tragic event also cost the humanitarian community the loss of an outstanding humanitarian and intellectual leader whose thought, philosophy, dynamism, and courage inspired all and remains a lasting legacy for future generations to emulate. Vieira de Mello's actions inspired the United Nations to make the day of his death commemoration World Humanitarian Day.
World Humanitarian Day Theme
Humanity is not only about dealing with armed conflict or war but also dealing with disasters that threaten human life. World Humanitarian Day 2021 is dedicated to reminding the dangers of the climate crisis, the greatest health threat facing humanity. Today is an important milestone ahead of the COP26 summit to be held in November when leaders from 196 countries will meet to agree on actions to control climate change.
The world is now witnessing record-breaking heat waves, violent storms, and changing weather patterns. Climate change is a health emergency, affecting the food system, the spread of disease, the health system, and society in general. Climate problems are getting direr and direr when the world is also facing COVID-19.
Indonesia is also in the spotlight which will experience the dire impacts of climate change. President of the United States, Joe Biden, delivered a speech about the threat of sinking Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia. Biden said that one of the impacts of climate change is sea-level rise. He projects that if sea levels rise by just 7.6 cm, millions of people in the world will have to flee their homes.
If the projection is correct, then Indonesia will have to pay a heavy price by immediately moving to the capital city of Indonesia, namely Jakarta. Because Jakarta is the capital city that is most at risk of sinking in the next 20 years.
"What happens in Indonesia if the projections are correct that, in the next 10 years, they may have to move to the capital city because they will be underwater? That's important. It's a strategic question as well as an environmental question", Biden said in a speech on July 27, 2021.
As previously reported by VOI in Joe Biden's article, Joe Biden Prediksi Jakarta Tenggelam 10 Tahun Lagi, Bisakah Dicegah dengan Mangrove? (Predicts Jakarta Drowning in 10 More Years, Can Mangroves Be Prevented?), an environmental observer who is also the Director of the Institute for Living Life (LOH), Yani Sagaroa explains why in general Joe Biden's projection is absolute.
The rate of forest destruction in Indonesia that goes on without a break is a factor in climate change. Forests that always provide a lot of livelihood to humans are replaced by concrete jungles like what happened in Jakarta. Meanwhile, conditions in Jakarta itself are getting worse with Green Open Space (RTH) that does not meet the standards.
As a result, the air temperature increases every time. In fact, in the past two years, the air temperature had reached above 42 degrees on certain days in various regions in Indonesia. It will also rise when it enters the dry season which according to records can reach 46 degrees.
“The threat – if it is in the context of the impact of climate change – is not only Jakarta. In several studies conducted by Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) for the Indonesian environment, on average, Indonesia has lost three small islands per year in the last 10 years. Even in the future, Indonesia's tendency to lose small islands will increase. That's from the sea level has increased, not to mention the addition of other climate change variables, such as typhoons, strong winds, and storms", said Yani.
Researchers from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report finding that on average over the next 20 years, global temperatures are expected to reach or exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius warming. This assessment is based on an enhanced observational dataset to assess the history of warming, as well as advances in scientific understanding of the climate system's response to human-caused greenhouse gas emissions.
“This report is a reality check”, said Deputy Chair of IPCC Working Group I, Valérie Masson-Delmotte. "We now have a clearer picture of past, present, and future climates, to understand where we are headed, what can be done, and how we can prepare".
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