MOCK COP26
To watch the 11-day Mock COP26, please visit the Mock COP26 YouTube channel here.
Session: The Mock COP26 First Speaker Series (Friday 20th November).
Facilitated by Mock COP26’s Josh Tregale and Mana Saza.
See the Speaker Series here.
Below is a transcript of the presentation:
I start by using the Climate Resilience Theory to contextualise climate resilient livelihoods. Then I discuss agricultural and coastal livelihoods.
The Climate Resilience Theory
It takes a precautionary approach. It’s about risk reduction. That is, climate change presents risks, and it’s important to respond to them in a way that reduces suffering.
I’ll go ahead to briefly define each of its 4 indicators (that is, climate change, adaptation, vulnerability and resilience);
Climate change is the changing climate, brought about by global warming, that has caused a shift in climate systems. This then triggers extreme weather events like wildfires, floods and droughts.
Adaptation on the other hand means, reducing vulnerability to climate change. This is by introducing or installing new coping mechanisms
At this point I’d like to mention maladaptation, which is an unsuccessful adaptation. So even as adaptations are used, it’s important to explore their potential negative consequences, in order to avoid increased vulnerability in future; because adaptation has one job, to reduce vulnerability.
Are we facing climate change with or without adaptation? This brings me to vulnerability vs resilience
Vulnerability is the degree to which a ‘thing, system, community’ is not able to recover from a climate event. Usually due to a lack in adaptation, which is the reality for most vulnerable communities.
And, where there is reduced vulnerability, there is increased resilience.
So, what is Resilience? This is the ability to bounce back into shape after an event. To absorb the shock and maintain function.
At this point, I’d also like to mention, transformation. It refers to, the opportunity to bounce back to a desired state. Much like the conversation around post covid-19 and building back better, to a different, greener, new normal, better.
Climate resilient livelihoods
Going by the definition just given for climate resilience, a climate resilient livelihood means a livelihood that has the ability to bounce back into shape after a climate event.
A livelihood in itself, is a set of activities through which we meet our needs. That is, how do we get food and water. Examples are the communities that depend on fishing, or agriculture, (these are referred to as primary activities) while those in urban areas depend on manufacturing and others on services (which are referred to as secondary activities).
Let’s contextualise this in the theory I presented earlier
Firstly, with regard to climate change, the most prevalent climate risks are floods, droughts, and sea level rise. These are already being experienced in many parts of the world.
Be that as it may, some parts of the world are more vulnerable than others.
Secondly, with regard to adaptation; the extent to which a ‘thing, system, community’ needs to adapt is subject to its vulnerability. How do we know how vulnerable they are?
The answer is that there’s a tool. The livelihoods vulnerability index. It enables you to assess the impact of climate change on livelihoods.
Vulnerability is a function of how much a community is exposed, sensitive, and able to adapt to climate change. Each of these indicators can be measured. This way, letting you know where the gaps that need to be addressed, are.
Results of such an assessment, have implications on where stakeholders direct their adaptation efforts, their monies, so that limited resources are channeled to areas where they are needed the most.
I’ll explore this idea of climate resilient livelihoods further, using these two scenarios; farming livelihoods and coastal livelihoods
Farming livelihoods
The impact of drought and flood cycles is usually first felt in agriculture. These risks particularly affect sub-Sahara Africa and South Asia, where livelihoods and ecosystems are highly sensitive to changes in climate.
Agriculture, especially in Africa, is mainly rain-fed, so drought and flood cycles are very disruptive. Also, farming is heavily dependent on family labour, so bad health in one or more family members could affect food production. So, with more and more events on the offing, these communities are getting more and more locked into poverty.
But, before recommending adaptation measures to address these vulnerabilities, it’s important to understand the gaps, which is where the livelihoods vulnerability index comes in.
I’ll give an example.
To recommend adaptation measures for two rural regions in Ghana, Wenchi and Techiman, a livelihoods vulnerability index assessment was carried out.
Farmers from these two areas mostly farm Maize. After tallying scores, using the livelihoods vulnerability index indicators, Wenchi was found to have a higher vulnerability (Wenchi (0.346) and Techiman (0.312)).
The following recommendations were made to reduce this; there was a need to build more community health centres. Also, for the drilling of boreholes to access water. So, the sensitivities addressed here, are Wenchi’s access to health and water resources (from the livelihoods vulnerabilities index).
The farmers in sub-Sahara Africa and South Asia could adapt to climate change and climate risks, by implementing adaptation measures such as;
Firstly, climate smart technologies in order to increase crop yield, using seed-balls for example (as used in arid areas of Kenya, where seeds are dispersed, with not so much regard for when the rains will come. The idea is to disperse them and whenever the rains come, the seed will pick it up from there).
Secondly, diversification of livelihoods, by getting involved in on and off farm activities; an example from Bangladesh, the diversification of things you could farm all at once (a response to floods), is where farmers have adopted to a model that integrates fish, fruit, vegetables and duck farming. All in one. It’s done using floating farms, so when storms come, the farms rise with the rising sea and farmers don’t lose much of their produce.
Finally, an unpopular adaptation measure. Migration.
“Migration is a good thing”,
..Lewis Hamilton’s jersey, said that. When soils lose their productivity, leading to the lack of food, people may be left with no other option, but to move (through no fault of their own), to find other places that could better support them.
I’d like to give an example from Kenya that shows how to respond to vulnerabilities using community specific solutions.
Some Agro-pastoral communities are allowed to pay their national health insurance fund (NHIF) contributions in the form of ‘goats’ (I really mean goats). This way, they’re able to access insurance, which reduces their vulnerability.
Some conditions that discourage the adoption of these adaptive measures in sub-Sahara Africa and South Asia include;
limited information, poor access to services, ICT, infrastructure, poverty, conflicts, inadequate access to health facilities, amongst others.
Finally, cases of maladaptation to look out for;
are for example, when communities look to selling firewood and charcoal production as adaptation measures. These are maladaptive and could lead to even more vulnerability in future. Because that means, deforestation and that has heavy negative implications.
Coastal livelihoods
Coastlines are threatened by flooding from coastal storms, coastal erosion, oil spills (most recent Mauritius case), sea level rise (which causes saltwater intrusion on agricultural land; a good example is Myanmar, which is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change and sea level rise).
But there are fishing livelihoods as well. Freshwater fish populations are rapidly declining; because climate change is altering the timing of migration and spawning.
To adapt, to these coastal challenges, some strategies include;
mangroves (which are salt tolerant and can withstand harsh coastal conditions) and biogenic reefs.
In one of the adaptation experiments in France, coastal retreat was considered an adaptation. For coastal communities, it’s challenging to consider this a solution. But, with the framing around sea level rise as a global issue, rather than a local one, the conversation around relocation became one that could be had.
This points to the need for community engagement and creating awareness; the potential for that ‘communication space’ to change perceptions is huge.
To wind this up, I’ll give the conclusions and recommendations as follows.
Conclusion
Creating awareness, education and training help reduce vulnerability. Because, when a farmer knows that in September I shouldn’t plant because rains don’t have to come in September as I’m used, that saves them from losing the seed, and helps in decision making.
Recommendations
Adaptation policies should accommodate Migration as an adaptation measure.
In addition, women have a limited role in disaster management and to use disaster risk governance would allow for their voices to be heard, not just for women but also other minority groups.
Stella Nyambura Mbau PhD
Founder & CEO LOABOWA
#mockcop26
