Imagine that the population of Scotland grew by one quarter within four years and that the new arrivals were refugees fleeing war and violence in a neighbouring country. Think about the strain this would place on key infrastructure such as housing, water and public services like health and education.

As a Scot, I often wonder how we would cope under such circumstances. For people in Lebanon, a country only slightly smaller than Scotland, this is the reality facing their country.The same is true for other countries bordering Syria, especially Jordan and Turkey.

Daily survival is becoming increasingly difficult for the four million refugees who have fled Syria in search of safety in neighbouring countries. For example, it is harder than ever to renew residency visas or register with government authorities; or in some cases with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Most refugees are forced to accept work and exploitative conditions in the informal economy as they are not allowed to work legally. Lebanon is hosting 1.1 million refugees registered with the UNHCR: 26 per cent of the country’s entire population.

With their resources running out, and little hope of the conflict in Syria ending quickly, many refugees rely on humanitarian aid. Yet here, too, they are being let down.

UN agencies such as the World Food Programme have had to drastically cut the relief they provide because donor nations, many wealthy, have not provided the funding they promised.

In my role as Oxfam’s policy lead on the Syria crisis, I meet people in camps across Lebanon and Jordan who tell me the cuts to the aid they receive and the uncertain future they face mean they feel they have no option but to risk their lives, and those of their families, by crossing the sea in flimsy boats.

The coverage the attempt by thousands of refugees to travel to Europe has generated has had at least one benefit: a surge in compassion and support for refugees. However, we must remember that the EU’s population is at least 100 times that of Lebanon with its economy some 400 times larger.

Despite this, Lebanon hosts more than three times the number of refugees who arrived in Europe this year. This alone should place the sometimes hysterical reaction of politicians and commentators in Europe in greater perspective.

Europe is facing a crisis of political will, not a refugee crisis. It has the resources and capacity to host all those arriving on its shores both safely and humanely. The millions of people who have fled violence in Syria are the ones living through an unprecedented crisis, struggling every day to find safety, food and shelter.

While the public support shown for refugees across Europe has finally pushed some political leaders to take much-needed action to resettle refugees directly from the region, it is very disheartening to hear governments squabble over their respective responsibilities. There are measures all governments must undertake if we are to have any chance of avoiding this humanitarian crisis getting any worse.

We need more safe and legal routes to third countries and a radically scaled-up aid response to those living in countries bordering Syria. It is sometimes argued that we must either support those people in camps in Lebanon, Jordan or Turkey or offer refuge to those who have already made it to Europe.

This is a false choice: we must do both. People in Scotland, and elsewhere, can help by continuing to support agencies such as Oxfam. In Syria, Jordan and Lebanon, we have reached more than 1.6 million people with life-saving clean water, sanitation and vital support for families who have lost everything.

In recent months, agencies have had to cut back on food assistance to refugees because of the lack of money. This is making a precarious situation even worse.

Ultimately, governments must do much more to end the violence in Syria. It is the brutality of the conflict – mortar attacks and bombings often carried out using arms and ammunition manufactured by powerful countries – that is at the heart of this human catastrophe.

Unless and until governments work together to end the conflict, people will continue to flee Syria in search of a safe future for themselves and their families.

I’d do the same. Wouldn’t you?

Daniel Gorevan is Oxfam’s Policy Lead on the Syria crisis. You can donate to Oxfam’s Emergency Appeal on the Refugee Crisis at www.oxfam.org.uk/refugee