Emergency and recovery

The Salvation Army has a long history of working to restore the physical, emotional, environmental and economic wellbeing of communities and people affected by emergencies and climate disasters.

Australia’s climate has warmed since records started to be kept in 1910. This is because of the greenhouse effect, where the level of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere act as a blanket, trapping in heat. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) found that this has been caused by human activities.

Climate change impacts go beyond the environment. It also affects physical and mental health, including because of a lack of access to clean water and sanitation, changes to spread in diseases, increased climate disasters, and poverty.

We are already experiencing this in Australia with disaster trends being complex, compounding and cascading, and it is expected to get worse. Climate change responses must lower emissions and help our community adapt to a changing climate. Unfortunately, people already experiencing disadvantage are more likely to be impacted negatively both by climate change and by measures to adapt. They typically have fewer resources to reduce the personal impact of climate change (such as installing solar panels or moving to a safer region) and to recover from it (such as rebuilding after a flood or fire). This means that addressing climate change is not just an environmental or economic imperative — it is a social justice priority.

We advocate to all levels of government for adequate support to communities and individuals experiencing emergencies and disasters, including:
•    Short and medium-term accommodation for people who have been displaced;
•    Emergency relief and food relief for people in need;
•    Available and accessible mental health and family violence support; 
•    Improved cooperation between all levels of government, as well as the community sector, to provide collaborative wraparound support; and
•    Action to mitigate the impact of climate change, especially for people who have fewer resources to adapt. 

We also work to help governments, communities, organisations and individuals to build resilience for future emergencies.

Find out more in our 2025 Social Justice Stocktake report.