It is well known that major disasters can be devastating to communities, taking lives, destroying homes and workplaces and creating conditions conducive to disease, poverty and insecurity. However, they can also wreak havoc on the environment, destroying critical plants and animals, disrupting ecosystems and contaminating habitats. Unfortunately, environmental needs can sometimes be forgotten in disaster response operations.
Last year, the Advisory Group on Environmental Emergencies (AGEE), a body of 70 governmental representatives organized to advise the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) and the Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA) on environmental emergencies, decided to launch the “Rosersberg Initiative” to strengthen the global response system for environmental emergencies.
As pointed out by AGEE Chair Chris Dijkens of the Netherlands Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment, AGEE members agreed in particular that “action is needed for cross-border assistance in environmental emergencies.” One aspect of this is addressing gaps in the regulatory framework for environmental assistance though the development of new guidelines. In this respect, the AGEE took particular note of the new IDRL Guidelines at its December 2007 meeting
The Joint UNEP/OCHA Environment Unit is currently conducting a baseline legal study and also organizing materials for training and advocacy on responding to environmental emergencies. Roy Brooke, UNEP/OCHA Programme Officer, voiced his confidence that “things will work a lot better” in environmental response, once standardized systems and regulations are in place.
Inspired by the Rosersberg Initiative, the ministries of defence of the Netherlands and Sweden have begun a joint pilot project to create an “environmental support module” by the end of 2008. The module will include a specialized emergency vehicle equipped with a laboratory, rescue equipment and staffed with trained experts, ready to be transported to a disaster-affected country at short notice. Advance agreements will be sought with interested countries to guarantee smooth entry and operations of the module in case of an emergency.