INVESTING IN PREVENTION, PREPAREDNESS
Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent due to climate change. Both Europe and Southeast Asia face more natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods.
Lenarcic, who also marked the 20th anniversary of the devastating tsunami that hit Indonesia in 2004 during his Jakarta visit, highlighted the urgent need for effective climate strategies.
“We need to identify, for instance, where the danger lies with regard to the tropical typhoons (and) storms, where there is increased danger of devastating floods and landslides, and we have to act accordingly,” he added.
“The most important lesson is that you cannot sit and wait until the disaster strikes, because then it may already be too late.”
He said the partnership between the EU and ASEAN will focus on meeting immediate needs, while building long-term resilience against future threats.
During the interview, Lenarcic stressed the importance of investing more in prevention and preparedness efforts.
“We cannot only focus on response, meaning we cannot only act once disaster already happens, because with this new intensity and frequency of disasters, we would soon be overwhelmed if we only focus on response,” he added.
