There is no way to know what tomorrow holds, whether we believe we control it or its destined. Today everything from NASA to scripture to historical remnants are suggesting the year 2012 threatens unmitigated natural disasters and again there is no way to be certain. Whether as Mayan tradition predicts there will be a new world order, the world’s largest volcano will erupt, the north and south poles will reverse, or sunspot activity will alter our atmosphere, there is a lot we can learn and many ways we can prepare for our future.
Preparing for 2012 and working toward a sustainable brighter future are one in the same. Whatever your beliefs about 2012 are, the need to prevent, mitigate, and prepare for natural disasters, like landslides, floods, mudslides, epidemics, earthquakes, catastrophic rain or snow is consistent. We must work towards decreasing our vulnerability to natural disasters and be prepared to respond rapidly and effectively. This involves mitigating sustainable design projects as well as building community awareness, and the provision of communications equipment.
51Give is ready to start taking preventative and risk management measures for future natural disasters. Disaster prevention and mitigation is particularly relevant to 51Give, because many of the poor households, who are the typical microfinance clients, suffer from both a higher disaster risk exposure and a lower risk bearing capacity. There are two prevention strategies, hazard-resistant technologies and portfolio diversification, which 51Give believes will act as Noah’s Ark in the case of any natural disasters be they 2012, tomorrow, or ten years from now.
Hazard-Risk Technology can be anything from house stilts to avoid floods, to solar panels in case electrical grids are destroyed. Many of these options, like solar and wind energy sources, are not only in the best interest of risk management, but offer affordable, sustainable, renewable forms of energy.
Portfolio Diversification offers business opportunities in case the natural disasters destroy farms or the necessary environment for a household or community’s economic foundation. Whether in the case of a natural disaster or not, these entrepreneurial opportunities are sustainable businesses for the poor that empower and mobilize them.
The steps to alleviating poverty, reducing environmental damage, and preparing for whatever the future has to offer are one in the same. 51Give is ready to lead the way to a sustainable future, no matter what our fate is.
.
Tags: 2012, 51give, development, earthquakes, empowerment, epidemics, floods, Internet, landslides, Microfinance, mitigation, mudslides, Natural Disaster, Noah's Ark, opportunities, platform, prevention, rescue, survival, Sustainable, Technology