Satisfying the Basic Needs: The Material Aspect of Human Security

Humans have basic needs to satisfy, which are widely expressed as adequate food, shelter, clothing, education, clean water and air, sanitation, and good health, among others. These universal physiological needs are at the core of the material aspect of human security. Meeting these needs is a requisite for survival and essential for human well-being. Human insecurity occurs when these basic needs are not met. Failure to satisfy them is unjust and a serious denial of basic human rights and security. Recent literature points out that unsatisfied basic needs may not solely be attributed to poverty and lack of access to basic services but also to pressing environmental factors such as climate change impacts and disaster risks. This chapter contends that the provision of basic needs, which forms the very core of human security, will be progressively threatened in many parts of Asia as climate changes and disaster risks escalate. It further argues that climate change adaptation (CCA) and disaster risk reduction (DRR) strategies have been employed by many Asian countries, although there is yet no comprehensive assessment of their effectiveness in satisfying the human basic needs and security of the poor and vulnerable sector. The chapter concludes that it is crucial to mainstream CCA and DRR in national and local development agenda particularly in the less economically developed and more vulnerable countries in Asia, with the end view of protecting the basic needs and security of the poor in the context of changing climate and increasing incidence of disasters.