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News publications and other organizations are encouraged to reuse Direct Relief-published content for free under a Creative Commons License (Attribution-Non-Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International), given the republisher complies with the requirements identified below.

When republishing:

  • Include a byline with the reporter’s name and Direct Relief in the following format: "Author Name, Direct Relief." If attribution in that format is not possible, include the following language at the top of the story: "This story was originally published by Direct Relief."
  • If publishing online, please link to the original URL of the story.
  • Maintain any tagline at the bottom of the story.
  • With Direct Relief's permission, news publications can make changes such as localizing the content for a particular area, using a different headline, or shortening story text. To confirm edits are acceptable, please check with Direct Relief by clicking this link.
  • If new content is added to the original story — for example, a comment from a local official — a note with language to the effect of the following must be included: "Additional reporting by [reporter and organization]."
  • If republished stories are shared on social media, Direct Relief appreciates being tagged in the posts:
    • Twitter (@DirectRelief)
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Republishing Images:

Unless stated otherwise, images shot by Direct Relief may be republished for non-commercial purposes with proper attribution, given the republisher complies with the requirements identified below.

  • Maintain correct caption information.
  • Credit the photographer and Direct Relief in the caption. For example: "First and Last Name / Direct Relief."
  • Do not digitally alter images.

Direct Relief often contracts with freelance photographers who usually, but not always, allow their work to be published by Direct Relief’s media partners. Contact Direct Relief for permission to use images in which Direct Relief is not credited in the caption by clicking here.

Other Requirements:

  • Do not state or imply that donations to any third-party organization support Direct Relief's work.
  • Republishers may not sell Direct Relief's content.
  • Direct Relief's work is prohibited from populating web pages designed to improve rankings on search engines or solely to gain revenue from network-based advertisements.
  • Advance permission is required to translate Direct Relief's stories into a language different from the original language of publication. To inquire, contact us here.
  • If Direct Relief requests a change to or removal of republished Direct Relief content from a site or on-air, the republisher must comply.

For any additional questions about republishing Direct Relief content, please email the team here.

To Address Climate Change’s Inequities, New Efforts Arise

As extreme weather and other climate-related emergencies increase or arise, new steps are being taken to counter the inequities created by these events.

News

Extreme Weather

Hurricane Harvey battered the Texas coast in August 2017, causing major flooding, property damage, and loss. (Bryn Blanks/Direct Relief)
By Heath Pennington

A record-breaking heat wave across the western United States. A 73% increase in power outages. The largest wildfire in New Mexico’s history. Even a cursory glance at the news shows the increasing effects of climate change.

The global funding needed to respond to climate disasters has increased by more than 800% in 20 years. The high costs of climate adaptation mean that poorer communities are at an increasing disadvantage: Wealthy areas, unlike poor ones, can afford private water and sanitation supplies, generators, batteries, and solar technologies.

As a result, lower-resource communities are most severely affected by fires, floods, and other extreme weather, with both physical and mental health impacts resulting from these disasters. In the United States, for example, racial disparities exacerbate adverse health outcomes related to climate change.

As more steps are taken to adapt to a changing climate, inequities widen:

  • The United Nations is launching an early warning system to provide timely climate information to parts of South Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, which currently lack access to information about extreme weather.
  • Scientists and lawyers are stepping into the growing field of climate litigation to help advance climate policy. These efforts attempt to hold governments and corporations accountable for their roles in extreme weather, environmental pollution, extinction events, and human rights violations.
  • Urban agriculture and arboriculture are being implemented as part of urban green and nature-based solutions for low-resource cities to improve sustainability, protect and restore ecosystems, address systemic inequities, and help regulate climate change.
  • The fight for climate justice is gaining recognition. In its 2022 report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recognized the environmental justice and climate justice movements and their calls to address systemic inequalities in climate action. Philanthropic organization and GuideStar parent company Candid released a significant report calling on foundations to fund climate-justice initiatives, especially those focused on disadvantaged communities most impacted by the climate crisis.

What Direct Relief is doing

A humanitarian organization committed to improving the health and lives of people affected by poverty and emergencies, Direct Relief delivers lifesaving medical resources throughout the U.S. and worldwide to communities in need—without regard to politics, religion, or ability to pay. The organization is increasingly aware of the strong links between environmental justice and social justice. Through small-scale and larger projects, it is helping people adapt to the impacts of climate change.

With local healthcare providers, Direct Relief is funding the construction of solar- and battery-powered health and wellness resources to protect those in need when extreme weather events trigger outages and grid failures. With healthcare predicated on power availability, these resilience resources maintain essential services while helping communities at risk prepare for future disasters.

A few examples of Direct Relief’s recent climate-related initiatives:

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