Climate Tribune Dhaka Tribune | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2021 - International Centre for Climate ...
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
Dhaka Tribune | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2021 Climate Tribune
2 Thursday, February 25, 2020 Thursday, February 25, 2020
3
Locally led adaptation to climate
change comes of age
The results of the Gobeshona conference were beyond expectations
n Saleemul Huq
T
wo years ago the Global Com-
mission on Adaptation (GCA)
was set up by a group of gov-
ernments led by the Nether-
lands and the leaders of 22 other con-
vening countries including Bangladesh
with the former Secretary-General of
the United Nations Ban ki-Moon as its
Chair along with Bill Gates of the Bill
and Melinda Gates Foundation and
Kristalina Georgieva, then CEO of the
World Bank and now head of the Inter-
national Monetary Fund (IMF) as co-
chairs. It also included a large number
of Commissioners including the heads
of UNDP, UNEP, WMO, etc, and digni-
taries from around the world including
Dr Muhammad Musa from BRAC Bang- The eight principles of Locally Led-Adaptation by WRI, IIED, BRAC, SDI, GCA GLOBAL RESILIENCE PARTNERSHIP
ladesh. I had the privilege of being as-
sociated with the GCA to support its sci-
entific work on the topic of locally-led identified eight different Adaptation Bangladesh and around the world who icas for the third 8 hours each day for
adaptation. Tracks that would then become part of all pledged to adopt and follow the 8 seven days. We believe this may be the
The GCA held a large number of con- a Year of Action which would culminate Principles of LLA that had been devel- first such round the world 24/7 virtual
sultations all over the world with many in a Climate Adaptation Summit (CAS) oped under the LLA Action Track. In event.
different stakeholders and came out to be hosted in the Netherlands in Oc- the end, over forty international and The results of the Gobeshona con-
with its flagship report called ‘Adapt tober 2020. national organizations pledged to adopt ference were beyond our expectations
Now’ in September 2019 which was re- Unfortunately, because of the Cov- the principles. in that we have several thousands of
leased at the United Nations in New York id-19 pandemic the original date for Just prior to the CAS, we also held participants from all over the world,
during the Climate Action Summit held the CAS had to be postponed to Jan- the annual Gobeshona conference not only joining in sessions but also in-
there at that time. The GCA meeting at uary 25 and 26 of 2021, and instead of which was the 7th year for the usual teracting with each other in virtual chat
the UN in New York was chaired by the an in-person meeting in the Nether- series of Gobeshona conferences which rooms which we provided for them.
Prime Minister of the Netherlands along lands, it was run as a series of online had been held at the Independent Uni- The results were a decision to launch
with Ban ki-Moon and Bill Gates and Anchor Events on the different Action versity Bangladesh (IUB) every Janu- the Gobeshona Network LLA and Resil-
also present were Prime Minister Sheikh Tracks held across 24 Hours starting ary for the previous six years and was ience and to hold the Gobeshona con-
Hasina of Bangladesh as well as Dr Musa with a high-level launch in the Neth- organized by the International Centre ference on LLA every January from
of BRAC and myself. The flagship report erlands hosted by their Prime Minister for Climate Change and Development now on as a virtual global event and
and Ban ki-Moon along with heads of (ICCCAD). In previous years we had not revert back to the in-person format
government and ministers from many several hundred people participating anymore. We also plan to make each
other countries. Prime Minister Sheikh over four days with quite a few inter- annual Gobeshona conference into
Hasina of Bangladesh also spoke on the national participants, but this year be- a review of progress on the ten year
The flagship report occasion. The high-level segment was cause of the Covid-19 pandemic and journey to promote and enhance lo-
identified eight noteworthy for being the first interna- travel restrictions we decided to hold it cally-led adaptation around the world
tional speech by John Kerry from the as a virtual event and hence also decid- which was started as a community of
different Adaptation United States of America after being ed to make it into a global event on the learning and practice at the first an-
Tracks that would appointed President Biden’s Climate theme of LLA. nual Gobeshona Global Conference on
then become part Envoy. He gave a powerful speech say- When we reached out to our friends Locally Led Adaptation in January this
ing that the US is now back in the Paris around the world inviting them to host year.
of a Year of Action Agreement and will be doing its best to and run sessions on their respective I was also given the opportunity to
which would also work on adaptation as well as mit- adaptation-related activities wherev- present the outcomes of the Gobesho-
culminate in a igation. er they were located we got an over- na conference at the CAS Anchor Event
As part of the CAS, an Anchor Event whelming response and finally decid- on LLA on 26th January to launch the
Climate Adaptation on Locally Led Adaptation (LLA) was ed to hold 90 sessions over 24 hours ten-year journey to promote locally led
Summit (CAS) to hosted by Bangladesh on January 26. It each day, for seven days. This meant adaptation. l
be hosted in the was was inaugurated by the Prime Min- for every day we were having 8-hour
ister as well as ministers and then had sessions for the Asia Pacific region, fol- Dr Saleemul Huq is the Director of the
Netherlands in inputs from many other speakers from lowed by 8 hours for the African and International Centre for Climate Change and
October 2020 many different organizations both from European regions and then the Amer- Development (ICCCAD).
4 Thursday, February 25, 2020 Thursday, February 25, 2020
5
In locally-led adaptation, “locality”
tional organizations and NGOs such as community members’ inputs in ad-
UNDP and BRAC, and by national-level aptation decision-making. BRAC aims
researchers and project implementers. to empower community members to
and “leadership” remain unclear
It was discussed in the contexts of coun- become climate resilient on their own.
tries in the Global South in Africa, South The Tapestry project (implemented by
and Southeast Asia, and Latin America, several organizations) approaches LLA
as well as in the Global North in Japan from an even more radical framing of When we talk about LLA, we must
LLA approach and solutions and Rhode Island (USA). local leadership. Their initiatives aim
to engage with vulnerable community ask: where are vulnerable community
So, what is local? What is leadership?
For different types of organizations,
members’ ideas about marginality in or-
der to co-create transformative adapta-
members in this process? Are they the
locality and leadership mean different tion interventions that bring long-term ones making decisions in leadership
things. The Adaptation Fund and the
Green Climate Fund have each launched
structural change.
roles?
initiatives to make funding more direct- What do these vastly different ideas
ly accessible to countries. In the past, about locality and leadership mean for
this has been a challenge for countries LLA?
that cannot meet the complicated re- When LLA means country control over “Local solutions are often the best solu- or may not include community mem-
quirements and to submit project pro- the allocation of funds for some organ- tions,” and, “climate change is a global bers at all. Meanwhile, it is their futures
posals. Through “direct access” initia- izations, and transformative structural challenge that requires local solutions that are at stake in adaptation efforts.
tives, countries would have increased change that considers local power rela- and innovations.” If we don’t know According to the newly released “8
“ownership” of projects and more say in tions for others, it is clear that there is a who is included in “local,” though, we Principles for Locally Led Adaptation”
how funds are spent, thereby increasing lack of consensus on this ideal approach don’t know who we should turn to for from the Global Commission on Ad-
local leadership. to adaptation. LLA begins to lose its solutions. If “context matters,” and “we aptation, the first component of LLA
For international organizations such meaning altogether. cannot apply a cookie-cutter approach,” is “Devolving decision making to the
as UNDP, local leadership comes from In these LLA efforts, each organiza- then it seems that the people most im- lowest appropriate level.” Apart from
greater engagement with actors in vul- tion seems to partially relinquish their pacted by climate change, who know the derogative tone of “devolving,” this
nerable countries. These actors can be control over adaptation to the set of their contexts, should have substantial principle also the “appropriate” level of
members of climate-vulnerable com- actors that is one step more “local.” Lo- influence in deciding how adaptation decision-making up to interpretation.
munities or other national actors with cal becomes a relative measure rather takes place. This can be used to justify keeping de-
ideas about how adaptation should take than something with concrete meaning. Right now, contributions from local cision-making power away from local
place. UNDP has launched the “adapta- Leadership can then mean anything communities are mostly moderated by communities.
tion innovation marketplace” in an ef- from contributing ideas to having sub- organizations that have their own inter- When we talk about LLA, we must
fort to capture and support these local stantive control over an adaptation in- ests and limitations. Depending on the ask: where are vulnerable community
ideas and turn them into projects. tervention. organization planning the intervention, members in this process? Are they the
In Bangladesh, there are also organi- The presenters at the Gobeshona an LLA project may be collaboratively ones making decisions in leadership
zations working to increase vulnerable conference often made claims like, constructed with community members roles? Or are they being used instru-
mentally in order to make interventions
more effective or to extract innovative
adaptation solutions?
LLA is a huge improvement over top-
down approaches to adaptation. That
organizations at all levels are thinking
about how to more evenly distribute
PIXABAY
decision-making power is a positive
change. However, the conversations
around LLA at the Gobeshona confer-
ence revealed that we need an explicit
n Danielle Falzon presenters from around the world took discussion about power and agency in
L
advantage of the opportunity to high- adaptation. The meaning of LLA must
ocally led adaptation (LLA) is light their organizations’ efforts in be made more precise.
quickly becoming an adapta- this area. It created a truly unique and True bottom-up adaptation would
tion ideal. Progressive adap- much-needed space for emphasizing mean that vulnerable community mem-
tation efforts increasingly aim the importance of local actors in adap- bers are in charge. That they ask for
At this year’s virtual and global
to move away from top-down planning. tation. what they need, and they receive it. We
Last year, former Secretary-General Presenters at Gobeshona seemed to must not let LLA become another hol-
Gobeshona, it is clear how far- of the UN Ban Ki Moon launched the
Locally Led Adaptation track for the
agree that LLA involves a change from
top-down planning that previously
low buzzword in climate change work.
Ambiguities in its meaning must be re-
reaching the LLA approach has Global Commission on Adaptation at characterized adaptation work. That solved now to match the urgency of the
become the Gobeshona Conference in Dhaka. At
this year’s virtual and global Gobesho-
instead of planning taking place among
non-local actors in international organ-
climate crisis. l
na, it is clear how far-reaching the LLA izations and multilateral climate funds, Danielle Falzon is a PhD Candidate at Brown
approach has become. it should take place among local actors, University (USA) and a Visiting Researcher at
However, there seem to be inconsist- and that these local actors should lead the International Centre for Climate Change
encies in the meaning of LLA for differ- adaptation. and Development (ICCCAD) in Dhaka. Her
ent organizations. LLA was praised by representatives work focuses on power and inequality in
With LLA action as the theme of the of funders such as the Adaptation Fund adaptation decision-making. She can be
MARKUS SPISKE
2021 Gobeshona Global Conference, and the Green Climate Fund, interna- contacted at danielle.falzon@gmail.com.
6 Thursday, February 25, 2020 Thursday, February 25, 2020
7
My reflections on the
first virtual Gobeshona
conference
n Susan Nanduddu derstanding, preparing for, and man- coffee-growing areas will be wiped out
T
aging climate risks; co-create solutions in Uganda under a two-degree Celsius
he first virtual Gobeshona with 200 communities, and scale-up scenario. Yet coffee is a very important
conference, a form of adapta- actionable solutions triggering soci- source of income for smallholder farm-
tion to Covid-19, opened on etal transformations through 100 deep ers. Establishing a demonstration will
the day internet was restored demonstrations of climate resilience be my entry point for engaging mean-
in Uganda following a nationwide shut- across a number of European commu- ingfully with the residents. I hope to
down for nearly a week. Thankfully, I nities and regions. This sharing inspired leverage past experiences in engaging
had already registered and I found my me to do something in my personal with ‘new’ communities, to build trust
way around into the Whova App, which capacity, with the community where I enough to have sustained conversations
I had been introduced to by the four- farm. that will help us discuss the climate
teenth Community Based Adaptation risks, and co-create solutions. Hopeful-
Conference. I have previously been to ly, we can attract financing to support
Bangladesh, largely to attend one of investments towards resilience-build-
both conferences. It was a wonderful ing.
experience attending the 24-hour con- The Gobeshona conference also dis-
ference in a variety of formats; which cussed principles of Locally Led Ac-
reached all parts of the world including tions, one of which is devolving deci-
Latin America. Congratulations to the sion-making to the lowest appropriate
team that made it happen. level. This principle speaks to empow- litres. It is largely the women and chil-
Did you know that we are officially in ering those worst impacted to lead more dren who invest hours daily to collect
the UN Decade of Action? This decade adaptation; increase direct financial water for household needs, which is
calls for accelerating sustainable solu- flows to local actors and for local actors both tiring and time-consuming. To ex-
tions to all the world’s biggest challeng- Importance to have more decision-making power or pect irrigation under such circumstanc-
es, including climate change. For most a genuine voice where others lead. In es, without investing in enabling tech-
of the past decade, I was a student and of Locally a community like mine with no regis- nology, is to add a huge labour burden
facilitator of conversations about cli-
mate change adaptation. As part of my
Led Action tered community-based organisations,
nor active Non-governmental Organ-
onto the women and children. These are
the local actors that need to be consult-
work, I identify doers (practitioners) re- is devolving isations, the decentralisation system ed.
searching or working on a relevant sub-
ject, and I invite them to share insights
decision-making is ideal for facilitating resilience build-
ing. The starting point would be for the
The Gobeshona conference expand-
ed my perspective on these matters and
from their experiences in various spac- to the lowest village Chairpersons (the lowest level I am grateful.
appropriate level
es. The intention is to increase aware- of decentralisation) to be knowledgea- Lastly, I would like to reflect on the
ness about climate change, and share ble and networked enough to facilitate ten-year trajectory pledged by the con-
lessons of what works and what does these discussions where there is no de- ference. The Gobeshona conference will
not. Ultimately we hope to inspire in- liberate climate finance. continue annually online until 2030.
dividuals, households, and institutions It is worth noting that financing for This conference has inspired me to pro-
to enhance adaptation action at various adaptation action remains low and a ject the same for myself at the farm. I
levels. As the last decade wound up, very small fraction reaches the local am excited about the prospect of shar-
however, I thought about how to have level. Yet it is needed in order to accel- ing results over the next nine confer-
a more practical experience as a ‘doer’, erate locally led adaptation. A facilitator ences. Will I report success or failure at
beyond being a facilitator. for one of the sessions at the Gobeshona mobilising my neighbours to co-create
One of the keynote sessions moder- conference rightly observed that “the adaptation solutions? Will I report that
ated by Prof Saleemul Huq at the con- days for top-down development are our coffee survived the disasters of the
ference was very inspiring to me. Expert Over the past decade, my husband over”. Project designers in boardrooms decade? Will I report two steps forward
Jean-Pascal van Ypersele shared plans and I have grown food for our family, should consult with project area resi- and some backwards?
to make Europe more resilient, climate with limited intention to sell. During dents, not just facilitators like myself. My optimistic self looks forward to
prepared, and fair; based on a report by the Covid-19 total lockdown, our gar- The largest percentage of the residents positives only, but only time will tell. l
the Mission Board for Adaptation to Cli- den fed at least six households for free. in my community depends on their
mate Change of the European Commis- From the Gobeshona conference, I have less-than-one-acre gardens to feed their Susan Nanduddu is working in African Centre
sion. In brief, Europe, known to many been inspired to not only establish a families, while some provide labour on for Trade and Development based in Uganda
of us in the global south as a leader of coffee and banana garden on one acre other people’s farms for a livelihood. as the Executive Director. Her research
the mitigation agenda; is taking bold of land, but turn it into a demonstration The whole village has no electricity. interest lies in making agriculture more
climate adaptation steps. These are in garden, and I invite my neighbor-farm- Access to water is largely from a few resilient to climate change risks; as well as
three parts; to assist European citizens, ers to learn from it. springs, or rainwater harvesting into gender and climate change adaptation. Susan
communities, and regions in better un- Available research predicts that the low volume containers of less than 100 About one and a half years old coffee plant SUSAN NANDUDDU can be reached at snanduddu@gmail.com
8 Thursday, February 25, 2020 Thursday, February 25, 2020
9
The importance of learning about Indigenous peoples and local
climate change from the Global South communities in locally-led adaptation
Why ICCAD’s Global Gobeshona Conference set an important precedent Increasing recognition of indigenous and local communities in tackling climate
change is a ray of hope
evitably nature-based and contribute
to both climate change adaptation and
The remarkable mitigation.
feat of the
Another session hosted by Partici-
patory Research in Asia (PRIA), shared
conference was how indigenous youths are leading
the way forward to integrate tradition-
not only its al knowledge into research practices.
reach but also Indigenous peoples traditional knowl-
edge and practices also contribute to
in who spoke at deepen our knowledge on the current
n Farhana Sultana prior years of Dhaka-based Gobeshona tive networking sessions).
the conference ecosystem, and can lead to a paradigm
T
conferences organized by ICCAD that The remarkable feat of the confer- shift on nature-based development ap-
he Global Gobeshona Con- brought together many international ence was not only its reach but also in - ranging from proach and economic feasibility.
ference, held in January and domestic participants. who spoke at the conference - ranging It is anticipated that we are enter-
2021, was a remarkable and This year the conference was virtual, from world-famous names and leaders world-famous ing the epoch of Anthropocene where
breath-taking event in climate
change knowledge exchange and public
necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic
but also the realization of a vision of a
of organizations to local community
members in remote areas who nor-
names and human actions are predominant in the
biosphere and planetary systems. It not
discourse. This is the first annual global truly global conference that covers all mally are often excluded from such leaders of only implies the advancement of the
Gobeshona conference, building off of continents of the globe and is inclu-
sive of participants and attendees from
conference spaces. Thanks to rigorous
pre-planning that enabled the partic-
organizations to human race but also entails transform-
ative changes to reduce the negative
around the world. International institu- ipation of average people impacted local community impacts on atmosphere, nature and cli-
members in
tions, research universities, networks, by climate change, with organized mate. Indigenous people and local com-
NGOs, activist organizations, academic access to the internet, the conference munities are already ahead of the game
researchers, students, and local com- demonstrated the importance of in- remote areas who PIXABAY
in terms of managing and sustaining in-
munity members were all present. clusiveness in ensuring that the voices valuable nature and adapting to chang-
The number of participants and of differently situated peoples were normally are often es in climate.
attendees would be much harder
to achieve in a face-to-face confer-
heard and heeded.
Translation facilities furthered this
excluded from n Afsara Binte Mirza and Ali global recognition of their rights and
contribution to the environment and
While the session on ‘Capacity Building
for Promoting Local Adaptation Inno-
Thus, the time has come to recog-
nize their contributions, learn from
T
such conference
Mohammad Rezaie
ence that in the past involved peo- inclusivity. For instance, it was possible sustainable development are also ris- vation through regional collaboration, their sustainable practices and involve
ple travelling to Dhaka, Bangladesh.
The global reach of the conference
for attendees to hear and interact with
presenters from powerful institutions
spaces he most emphasized word of
locally-led adaptation is ‘led’.
ing in the realms of science, policy and
advocacy. Recently, the International
hosted by Institute for Global Envi-
ronmental Strategies (IGES) stated the
the local communities to collectively
address the impacts of climate change.
was truly astounding: 90 sessions such as UNFCC, GEF, SEI, WRI, and This notion acknowledges the Centre for Climate Change and Devel- increasing need to acknowledge and These inclusive actions in collabora-
over 7 days, running 24-hours each many others but also communities par- crucial role of local commu- opment (ICCCAD) organized its very integrate indigenous practice and local tion with national, regional and global
day with many parallel sessions, in- ticipating in LLA projects across coun- nities to take effectual actions on the first Gobeshona Global conference to knowledge with traditional science/re- levels actors can enable the pathways
volving dozens of participants and tries in Asia, Africa, and the Americas. of information, experiences, ideas and ground and tackle climate change per- showcase the knowledge, research and search to have a more fruitful adaptation to protect nature and biodiversity; take
The global thousands of attendees due to free
access. The level of forethought,
Among several impactful sessions, one
that is representative of this inclusivity
processes are hindered due to lack of
access to funds to travel to conference
sistently. These unrecognized leaders
and frontline agents of climate change
practices on locally-led adaptation from
different regions of the world.
intervention. This was reflected in one
of their research projects in India and
an intersectional approach to include
indigenous women, youth, elders, peo-
reach of the planning, and commitment that goes was the one organized by UN Women spaces or access to powerful instruc- adaptation include indigenous peoples Several key sessions in GCC high- Bhutan where local communities used ple with disabilities, etc to pave the way
conference was into something like this cannot be
understated. As a past presenter at a
Bangladesh on women champions of
climate change, which ensured that fe-
tions and actors. A free virtual con-
ference that is based out of the Global
and local communities. Their lifestyle,
culture, society, traditions vary from
lighted the urgency to incorporate
traditional knowledge into project im-
their traditional knowledge to reuse
crops residue to enhance soil function
towards achieving Sustainable Devel-
opment Goals; and enhance economic
truly astounding: Gobeshona conference in Dhaka, I at- male participants in remote villages of South, inclusive of various types of voic- group to group within a country, how- plementation and planning stages to and reduce emissions for climate-adap- prosperity.
90 sessions over
tended this year’s Global Gobeshona Bangladesh were presenters on an equal es across the Global South, is something ever, the diversity accounts for sustain- enhance actions for locally-led adap- tive agricultural waste strategy. It is also prime time for the civil so-
conference as an attendee instead, footing to well-known speakers and or- that I believe should be learnt from and able management and preservation of tation. The session titled ‘A new global The session hosted by ICCCAD and cieties, scientific and political commu-
7 days, running bearing witness to the event over a ganizations, with the session being held supported by those in the Global North their landscapes and seascapes. Despite initiative for action research’, hosted WWF, ‘People Protecting Landscapes nities to work with local communities,
week of thought-provoking sessions. in both English and Bengali. and Global South. Otherwise, the goals having contributed the least to climate by Adaptation Research Alliance (ARA) and Seascapes’ highlighted that indig- IPLC leaders and diplomats to advocate
24-hours each The theme of this year’s confer- Given that climate change impacts of achieving meaningful climate adap- change and leading a ‘low carbon’ way stressed co-production of knowledge enous people and local communities for local knowledge and locally-led ad-
day with many ence was on locally-led adaptation
(LLA) across different geographic ar-
the most vulnerable across the world,
yet the voices of the vulnerable are al-
tation or climate justice will remain that
much more difficult. l
of life, Indigenous peoples and local
communities are disproportionately af-
between practitioners (such as indig-
enous and local communities) and re-
led ecosystem management and their
sustainable conservation of biologi-
aptation in the upcoming United Na-
tions Climate Change conference, COP
parallel sessions, eas, whereby knowledge and lessons ways not heard or heeded sufficiently in fected since they often live closer to the searchers to build sustainable relation- cal diversity are consistent with Na- 26. It’s time to work together for our
involving dozens learnt were shared and debated from
across the Global South and the Glob-
high-level planning and decision-mak-
ing, conferences like the Global
Dr Farhana Sultana is working in the Maxwell
School of Citizenship & Public Affairs
climate-vulnerable ecosystems; highly
dependent on the natural resources;
ships and fight climate change more
strategically.
ture-based Solutions in addressing the
adverse effects of climate change. The
planet. l
of participants al North. The sessions were organized Gobeshona Conference enhances op- of Syracuse University, USA as a faculty and low socio-economic conditions. The new research alliance also aims session stressed on the reciprocal rela- Afsara Binte Mirza is working at the
by different types of sessions (keynote portunities to have different voices and On a positive note, indigenous peo- to collaborate with diverse stakehold- tionships between the local communi-
and thousands of
in the Department of Geography & the International Centre for Climate Change and
speeches with many renowned experts positionalities to be present in spaces of Environment, her research interest lies in ples and local communities’ sustainable ers and scale up adaptation actions by ties and nature. It also highlighted how Development (ICCCAD) as a Junior Research
attendees due to and thought leaders, organizational ses-
sions by various institutions and organ-
global knowledge sharing.
This is particularly critically impor-
_climate justice, water governance, political
ecology, and inclusive development. Can be
lifestyles, and traditional knowledge
are coming to spotlight and gaining
researching on the ground to harness
the synergy between traditional knowl-
traditional and indigenous knowledge
practised by the Indigenous Peoples
Officer.
Ali Mohammad Rezaie works as the Research
free access izations, thematic sessions, and interac- tant when cross-continental sharing reached at sultanaf@syr.edu. impetus to tackle climate change. The edge of indigenous peoples and science. and Local Communities (IPLCs) are in- Coordinator at ICCCAD.
10 Thursday, February 25, 2020 Thursday, February 25, 2020
11
Role of climate services in locally-
of Agriculture Extension (DAE) Agromet localized fish and crop species-specific
Technical Committee. This portal was advice to farmers and extension agents
developed by DAE under the Agro-Me- in Bangladesh’s 491 sub-districts.
led adaptation: Insights from East
teorological Information Systems De- Index Based Flood Insurance (IBFI) is
velopment Project. a type of insurance that triggers a pay-
Under the ACToday project, IRI and out using a predetermined threshold
America and Latin America
the BMD developed the ENACTS data- based on climate variables. For exam-
set and accompanied set of free online ple, an insurance policy to protect farm- In Latin America, a strong relationship
exists between meteorological
maprooms (http://datalibrary.bmd.gov. ers against drought might payout if rain-
bd/maproom) in Bangladesh in 2019. fall levels are below a predetermined
Climate services can be an instrumental agent in enabling locally-led adaptation NextGen seasonal forecasts using EN- threshold within a certain window of institutes and the agricultural sector
ACTS data were developed with BMD in time in the growing cycle. In Bangla-
2020. This information is tailored based desh, a number of index insurance pi-
n Towrin Zaman and Mélody Braun on stakeholder needs for use by nation- lots are focusing on floods with its first
B
al users from different sectors with de- satellite-based agricultural flood index
eyond the alarming long term cision-making processes and ultimately being piloted in 2019 jointly by Oxfam, Gaibandha) and Sughatta (Upazilla in to the improvement, translation, com-
impacts of climate change, support food security. International Water Management Insti- Gaibandha) respectively, for flood dam- munication and use of climate informa-
one of the most important fac- ‘Agvisely’ is another Climate Servic- tute (IWMI), the CGIAR Research Pro- age to crops incurred between August tion. Moreover, even the best climate
tors affecting decision-makers es tool developed by CIMMYT using grams CCAFS and WLE, Green Delta In- and October 2019. IRI is also conducting forecasts cannot predict future climate
is the increased yearly and seasonal cli- data from BMD and DAE through the surance Company (GDIC), Swiss Re, and complementary research to identify the conditions with certainty, so it is crucial
mate variability that they need to adapt USAID supported Climate Services for SKS Foundation. BDT 2,617,200 (USD most promising satellite datasets for to increase users’ ability to understand
to, especially at the local level. Com- Resilient Development project. It in- $30,850) and BDT 55,200 (USD $650) flood insurance. uncertainty and make the best possible
munities are at the forefront of bearing tegrates real-time numerical weather were paid after calculation as compen- BACS, founded by ICCCAD, IRI, CIM- decisions based on the applicability and
the consequences of climate impacts forecast model outputs with crop or fish sation to households in the two partic- MYT and BMD, works to create and the accuracy of the forecasts.
and yet hold very little decision-mak- advisories and automatically provides ipants sub-districts Fulchari(Upazilla in strengthen a trans-disciplinary network While tools like Index Insurance can
ing power. It is crucial to empower the of professionals on climate services help reduce the losses associated with
local communities to marshal their own and contributed to capacity building the most severe climate hazards, a frac-
resilience against climate vulnerability. through interactive training on Climate tion of the poorest and most vulnerable
Climate services can be an instrumental Services for Food Security (2018), Cli- people will be excluded from the safety
agent in enabling locally-led adaptation mate Services for Aquaculture (2019), net of insurance because it carries the
through providing local stakeholders and Index Insurance (2020). These burden of paying a premium regardless
with decision-making tools. trainings have helped communicate to of how small the amount. As a result,
Climate services are climate informa- the stakeholders the climate impacts insurance products should be consid-
tion and products that aid end-users in affecting decisions, needs for climate ered in association with social safety
decision-making processes through en- information and processes to improve nets and as part of a broader package of
hancing their knowledge about climate information integration into deci- complementary strategies rather than
impacts. These end-users can be stake- sion-making processes. BACS is the very stand-alone products.
holders engaged in sectors such as agri- first national climate services academy, While BACS has taken some im-
culture, aquaculture or health, whose with other countries trying to replicate portant steps in capacity-building
livelihoods are affected by climate im- this model to sustain the networks and of farmers and local communities, it
pacts such as heatwaves, cold-waves, communications around the issue of cli- aims to keep raising awareness among
USGS
flooding or droughts. For example, if mate services. local stakeholders and policy-makers
farmers or fishers receive a forecast in- about the importance of using climate
dicating a high risk of extreme rainfall Lessons Going Forward for Bangladesh services; and support the strengthen-
or temperature, they can modify their poration of climate services to its na- planning for local agricultural activities tion Models project helped increase local Bangladesh can take inspiration from ing of the link between the producer
decisions on when and how to plant tional policies in recent years. Enhanc- using locally-relevant climate informa- knowledge on agro-climate risk through the successful and exciting examples of the information like BMD and the
crops or spawn fishes. ing National Climate Services (ENACTS), tion for capacity building of farmers and training technical assistants who in turn of integration of climate services into different sectoral users of climate ser-
In the recent Gobeshona Global Con- designed by IRI, is a dataset merging their decision-making. trained farmers. adaptation strategies in East Africa vices. As the same climate information
ference-1 in January 2021, climate ser- satellite and station data, developed In Latin America, a strong relationship The NextGen forecast approach, de- and Latin America. While Bangladesh can be adapted for use in different sec-
vices and their implementation in dif- with National Meteorological and Hy- exists between meteorological institutes veloped by IRI and implemented with has Agromet technical committees to tors to inform their decision-making
ferent sectors and regions were featured drological Services (NMOs) to improve and the agricultural sector. Agro-climat- Met Services across the world through validate climate information, regional process and reduce climate impacts, a
as a major theme in 6 sessions. Different availability, access, and use of climate ic committees, 41 of which have been IRI-led ACToday project, is an essen- agro-technical committees are yet to strong network between all stakehold-
organizations like Columbia Universi- information for local decision-making, formed throughout 10 Latin America tial component to the development of materialize. But they are worth repli- ers is crucial. Only with collaboration
ty’s International Research Institute for across 17 countries of Africa, 1 in Asia countries with 450 participating insti- climate services, which produces ob- cation with their success in including and support of all actors can a strong
Climate and Society (IRI), Bangladesh (Bangladesh) and one in Latin Amer- tutions since 2014, strengthen commu- jective forecasts at decision-makers’ members from all sectors are yet to ma- climate services ecosystem be devel-
Meteorological Department (BMD), In- ica. The IGAD Climate Prediction and nication networks and information ex- timescales (weeks to years) in a format terialize and bridging the gap between oped to enable locally-led adaptation
ternational Maize and Wheat Improve- Applications Centre (ICPAC) accredited change between different stakeholders tailored to be useful to decision mak- the stakeholders. in Bangladesh. l
ment Center (CIMMYT), ICCCAD, the by the World Meteorological Organiza- including and not limited to ministries, ing in specific sectors. For instance, it While climate services tools like
Bangladesh Academy for Climate Ser- tion (WMO), is in charge of delivering NGOs, farmers, academia. In Guatema- can help farmers prepare for extreme BAMIS and Agvisely can play instru- Towrin Zaman works at the International
vices (BACS), Oxfam, Concern World- climate services to Eastern Africa, by la, these committees support the Min- weather events by giving them an early mental roles in reducing climate vul- Centre for Climate Change and Development
wide, WorldFish, to name a few, high- strengthening the capacity of member istry of Agriculture Livestock and Food warning. nerability, it is imperative to ensure as a Research Associate, primarily focusing on
lighted their use of Climate Services in states. ICPAC implements online inter- (MAGA) in delivering climate informa- that they are available and compre- Climate Finance.
locally-led adaptation across different active tools called ‘Maprooms’, such as tion acquired from the Central American Climate Services in Bangladesh hensible to poorest and the most vul- Mélody Braun works as Senior Staff Associate
countries. the Meteo Rwanda Maproom, and trains Agricultural Council to farmers, region- Bangladesh Agro-Meteorological Infor- nerable stakeholders (farmers, fishers, at International Research Institute(IRI) for
institutions to use them. Participatory ally. Nationally, MAGA delivers climate mation Systems (BAMIS) is a portal that pastoralists, etc.) with a stronger focus Climate and Society specializing in Finance
The emergence of climate services in Integrated Climate Information Servic- information to municipality-level users disseminates climate information to on climate services through sectoral Risk Manager and Bangladesh country lead
East Africa and Latin America es for Agriculture (PICSA) is another through ministry representatives. The 30,000 lead farmers after being trans- awareness and capacity building, pol- for IRI Adapting Agriculture to Climate Today
East Africa has seen an increased incor- unique approach of using participatory Agro-climatic Adaptation and Preven- lated and validated by the Department A screenshot from the BAMIS portal android app icy integration, and funding allocated for Tomorrow (ACToday).
12 Thursday, February 25, 2020 Thursday, February 25, 2020
13
Youth as a driving force for locally-led actions
Young people are seeking change and springing into action across the world
n Samina Islam and Afsara Binte
Y
Mirza
ouths around the world are In Barbados, 1,100 students from the
Lester Vaughan Secondary School
taking inspiring actions to
fight the adversity of chang-
ing climate. One of the most implemented a project to raise
prominent young climate activists of
recent times is Greta Thunberg. Sim- awareness among young people about
ilarly, there are several proactive and
motivated youths like Greta, who are
the use of biodiesel as an alternative
not only insisting the governments to environment-friendly fuel for diesel
take immediate actions to tackle cli-
mate change but are also implement-
vehicles
ing innovative projects on the ground
themselves. For example, in Barbados,
1,100 students from the Lester Vaughan
Secondary School implemented a pro- formation on sustainability. Everyone excluded for resilient solutions. This
ject to raise awareness among young needs to have the attitude to be agents Manifesto was applauded by the panel-
people about the use of biodiesel as an of change. People are now practising lists and participants and was encour-
alternative environment-friendly fuel Sameer’s suggestions to reduce their aged to take forward.
for diesel vehicles. The project result- waste, which was driven through social Young people possess the right kind
ed in the collection of 3,943 litres of oil media. Thus, social media can be an of attitude to bring systemic and sus-
that would otherwise be disposed of in instrumental platform to reach out to tainable change in their communities,
an unsustainable manner. 3,154 litres local communities that resonate with and around the world. For the youths
of biodiesel was produced and used for indigenous knowledge. who want to be the agents of change,
fuel diesel vehicles, which resulted in Lalita Prasida Sripad, another youth does not always require to do something
the reduction of approximately 6,000 leader from India, shared her experienc- extraordinary or exceptional; it can be
tons of carbon emissions. es in improving the living standard of her done by re-thinking what they are al-
This is also evident in South Asia community, as they suffered from lack of ready good at. Some youths are good
which was reflected by some youth access to clean water. Lalita discovered at technology usage and computer pro-
leaders in late January, at one of the an innovative method to purify water gramming, some good at art and litera-
sessions of Gobeshona Global Confer- which involved the usage of corn cobs. ture, some are good at music and dance.
ence (hosted by ICCCAD from 18th- The method used a filtration mechanism These young people can channel
24th January 2021) led by ‘Participatory with corn cob charcoal and powder. The their talents and apply them for un-
Research in Asia (PRIA)’. They shared filtration mechanism (set up stand) ab- dertaking climate actions within their
their activities and experiences building sorbed and removed 99% of Lead (Pb). locality or for movements, and raising
community resilience through local- In addition to being both sustainable awareness or to demand robust actions
ly-led adaptation. and replicable, this affordable and eas- from politicians and decision-makers.
One of the youth leaders, Sameer ily available water purification strategy Older generations need to ensure that
Ahmed shared a social action project can be used on a domestic and industri- the voices of youth are heard and their
that he started for sustainable waste al scale. This project could be applied at actions are encouraged. The youth are
management through upcycling waste. a large scale by taking the corn cobs and already at the frontline of the climate
Due to the Covid-19 lockdown, the trash putting it to drainage. At the same time, it crisis and thus their actions, ideas, sug-
generation was increasing. This caused could be instrumental for agriculture us- gestions and demands should be given
a high ecological footprint and gave age and community to drink fresh water. priority today for a better tomorrow. l
Sameer the momentum to initiate the Most importantly, one of the major
project. His solution was to use waste takeaways from the session was the Samina Islam is working as a Junior Research
as a resource for reducing and reusing Youth Manifesto – where six demands Officer at the International Centre for Climate
waste. The approaches included storing were raised for a prosperous and in- Change and Development (ICCCAD). She can
fruits and vegetables separately, stor- clusive future for all. The demands in- be reached at samina.islam@icccad.org.
ing banana peels and sitting it in water cluded – youth as decision-makers; col- Afsara Binte Mirza is working at the
and using it as fertilizers later. Sameer laborative multi-stakeholder approach; International Centre for Climate Change and
surveyed peers, groups of teachers and mainstreaming climate adaptation in Development as a Junior Research Officer,
the general public through Instagram, education; intersectional and accessible her research interest lies in climate justice and
REUTERS which he found really innovative, as research; activating the family as a cli- gender equality. Can be reached at afsara.
it also aided him to disseminate in- mate change-maker; and including the mirza@icccad.org.
14 Thursday, February 25, 2020 Thursday, February 25, 2020
15
Can disaggregated data help build Adaptation Research Alliance:
resilience and ensure climate justice? A new global initiative for action research
Through targeted advocacy, creative cooperation and scaled resource delivery, the ARA
Impending need for disaggregated data for reducing risk from climate change targets to ensure that knowledge needs for climate change adaptation and resilience
n Fatema Akter for better insights which are not possi- cators addressing the various indicators actions are effectively addressed.
T
ble to find in aggregated data. For exam- of; Sendai framework; SDGs and nation-
he impacts of climate change ple, disaggregated data on disaster can al sectoral policies and strategies on that will reduce the impacts of climate
are not felt the same for the help with generating better insights of climate change and disaster risk reduc- change on the most vulnerable. There-
whole population of a given affected people by hazards by providing tion. These indicators will further assist fore, in order to address the risks and
country. Women and children data of location, by sex, by disability, by in collecting sex, age and disability data Lack of impacts of climate change, research
are identified as more vulnerable than income. for forming a gender-inclusive disaster
disaggregated has to be mobilised in a manner that is
men, furthermore, they are most un- management plan. action and evidence based as well as
Simply put,
defended to the various effects of cli- Why do we need to have disaggregated It is to be kept in mind that both data on affected trans-disciplinary and coordinated with
the ARA is an
population based
mate change. Therefore, the impacts of data? qualitative and quantitative data are re- practitioners in the forefronts.
climate change and the risks within are The availability of both qualitative and quired for a comprehensive knowledge The mission of ARA is split in two
initiative that
very much gender-sensitive. To have quantitative data on hazards and geo- generation. Information shared by Jes-
on gender, sex, ways. First, ARA aims to accelerate and
specific knowledge of the proportion graphical tracks will facilitate countries sica Gardner pointed out that empirical scale investments in action-oriented links together
age hinders
researchers who
of the impacts, to address them, and with better implementation plans for data taken from a couple of years back research in developing countries that
further incorporate them into policies disaster management and risk mitiga- shows that, “women and children died
precise steps Adaptation Research Alliance addresses the urgent need for knowl-
require disaggregated data on disasters. edge on adaptation and resilience of
are working
The action plan of UNFCCs so far does and actions that the most vulnerable communities.
n Adeeba Nuraina Risha on adaptation
need to be taken
not translate the gender-specific action need to drive and support investment in Secondly, ARA intends to build capaci-
T
due to lack of disaggregated data. action-oriented research. ty at all stages from research to action;
in different
Lack of disaggregated data on affect- to reduce the he world of science relies on With this objective in mind, the rep- strengthen research-implementation
ed population based on gender, sex, age one basic element to drive it: resentatives of 31 organisations span- linkages, and promote greater learning. countries around
risks and damage
the world and
hinders precise steps and actions that research. All the different con- ning 194 economies have come together ARA will perform three key functions:
need to be taken to reduce the risks
of the affected cepts encompassed in science, at the Gobeshona Global Conference on advocacy, improve communication, co-
and damage of the affected population. the complex systems and multiple ca- Locally Led Adaptation organized by ordination, collaboration and research practitioners of
Therefore, to initiate a discussion for a population veats begin with research. This research International Centre for Climate Change mobilization and delivery. Through tar-
global platform for sharing disaggregat- paves the way for solutions, actions and Development (ICCCAD) on 23rd geted advocacy, creative cooperation adaptation
ed data on climate change and disaster and implementations of the solutions. January 2021, to declare their intent to and scaled resource delivery, the ARA
risk a UNWomen Bangladesh held a vir- creating a better environment, data pro- Across the globe every day, research co-develop the Adaptation Research Al- targets to ensure that knowledge needs
tual event at the Gobeshona Global Con- duction and data accessibility. efforts are continuously taken to obtain liance (ARA), a bold new global partner- for climate change adaptation and resil-
ference 1 on 18th January 2021. UN Women has been a champion for better understanding of any given phe- ship to catalyse and scale investment ience actions are effectively addressed. vulnerable communities, as well as sup-
The discussion addressed the 26-na- evidence-based response and making nomenon. However, there rises a ques- in action-oriented research for climate It also ensures that progress that can be port the implementation of user-driven
tional set of indicators drawn from the the needs and capacities of women and tion of research meeting action: Are we adaptation and resilience. The ARA be- measured and proof of effectiveness of solutions for adaptation and resilience
73 global indicators that Bangladesh has girls visible, To address uneven capacity effectively using our understanding of lieves that there is a growing need for the previous and current adaptation in- from the global to local levels. The ARA
agreed to produce on a regular basis for for the collection of sex-, age- and disa- an issue to address it? adaptation solutions to be based on terventions are also taken into account. will work together in the run-up to the
measuring gender dimensions of dis- bility-disaggregated data (SADDD) and Let’s take the crisis of climate change evidence in current times. However, In terms of developing countries, this 26th session of the Conference of Parties
asters and climate change. The session gender analysis across the region, UN as an example. There are several stake- the global research community is inad- includes investment for user-centric to the UNFCCC to co-develop the ARA
also highlighted the Sendai framework Women proactively supports Member holders at play including the global re- equately mobilised and lacks the com- research that has the ability to promote and ensure that it sets targets for ambi-
that is working for collecting disaggre- PIXABAY States and other humanitarian actors in search community, which has been delv- prehensive connection to front-line ac- long-term capacity building. tious and realistic outcomes that enable
gated data on disasters and climate collecting sex, age, and disability data ing deep into the multifaceted concept of tors. The consequence of which results Simply put, the ARA is an initiative adaptation and resilience research that
change and the challenges in the data tion measures. Some of the key priori- 40% more than men during disasters’’. and conducting gender analysis. The climate change, the political players and in research efforts being insufficient in that links together researchers who is led by needs of the most vulnerable
collection process. The discussion ta- ty areas where we need disaggregated But there remains some data gap due speakers at the event appreciated UN the actors in the frontlines such as local meeting global demand for coordinated are working on adaptation in different and develops solutions commensurate
ble included distinguished experts in data are; vulnerability assessment, loss to challenges faced during the data col- Women Bangladesh’s leadership and communities. In order to build coordina- and actionable evidence to guide effec- countries around the world and practi- with the scale of the climate emergency.
this field namely, Md Mohsin; Secretary of life, loss and damage to the dwelling, lection process such as; (i)challenge in the milestone in setting up the SADDD tion among these stakeholders, there is a tive adaptation and resilience strategies tioners of adaptation. This in particular The ARA has the potential to bring a
Ministry of Disaster Management and use of shelters, access to safe water, im- building capacity; (ii)short data collec- protocol and guidelines. helps the most vulnerable developing systemic change for climate change ad-
Relief, Jessica Gardner; Gender Statis- pact on employment and education. tion periods(it is tough to collect data Even though challenges and barriers countries across Asia and Africa who aptation through research. To develop
tics expert, Duke Ivn Amin ; Director. Additionally, disaggregated data within a short time frame); (iii) lack of fe- exist in collecting disaggregated data, are at the forefront of tackling climate programs that build networks to drive
Communication and Resource mobili- will help in identifying the left-behind male trained staffs; (iv) local authorities Bangladesh has been doing exception- change on a regular basis. These coun- transformational change for communi-
zation JAGO NARI, Branwen Millar; Pro-
gramme Management officer (UNDRR),
groups in countries and their needs.
This can be supported by involving
are unwilling to release data to the na-
tional level;(v) rushed reporting of data.
ally well in the disaster response. Now
the country must invest in disaggregat-
In order to address the risks and tries are learning as they go, and this
valuable knowledge can come in useful
ties and ensure that measures are taken
to bridge the gap between research and
Inkar Kadyrzhanova; Regional Advi- them into the design; formulation; pro- One of the speakers also addressed the ed data on disaster and climate change impacts of climate change, research for other developed countries conse- action ARA can be a changemaker. In
sor on Gender and Climate Change UN
Women.
gramming; and monitoring of national
and local DRR strategies.
challenges faced by the governments in
the Asia Pacific region in regards to gen-
with the focus to include the margin-
alized and vulnerable people to have a
has to be mobilised in a manner that is quently when they face the impacts of
climate change with time. This initiative
the global battle against climate change,
this new approach holds the capacity to
To understand the importance of dis- The demand for disaggregated data is der data gaps such as weak policy space stringent evidence-based response. l action and evidence based as well as facilitates this sharing of knowledge to change the game for the better. l
trans-disciplinary and coordinated with
aggregated data, we need to understand rising worldwide. Countries are set with and legal and financial environment, ensure better planning and coordina-
what it means. Disaggregation of data some indicators for understanding the technical and financial challenges lim- Fatema Akter is currently working as a tion to deal with climate change. Adeeba is working at the International Centre
simply refers to the separation of data data priorities- what are their available iting the production of gender statistics Research Intern at ICCCAD and is also practitioners in the forefronts By 2030, the ARA hopes to see the for Climate Change and Development as a
into small parts for the better purpose of data, what data needs to be produced. and so on. To address the challenges UN a student of Bangladesh University of research community as an integral part- Research Officer. Adeeba can be reached at
analyzing trends, patterns or we can say Bangladesh has agreed to 23 such indi- Women and DRR working in 3 areas of Professionals. ner to policymakers, practitioners and adeeba.nuraina@icccad.org
You can also read
