{"id":2211,"date":"2020-01-08T23:13:43","date_gmt":"2020-01-08T23:13:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/diinsiderlife.com\/?p=2211"},"modified":"2022-07-12T23:22:30","modified_gmt":"2022-07-12T23:22:30","slug":"climate-crisis-into-a-new-decade-are-we-doing-enough","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diinsiderlife.com\/index.php\/2020\/01\/08\/climate-crisis-into-a-new-decade-are-we-doing-enough\/","title":{"rendered":"Climate crisis into a new decade: Are we doing enough?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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By: Lesley Sanga, Zaw Win Htet<\/strong><\/h5>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Whether we\u2019re ready or not, climate change has been intensifying at an alarming rate. As we say goodbye to another decade, it\u2019s time we ask ourselves: How much have we done? Is that enough? Stories from some of the climate frontiers Solomon Islands and Myanmar will give you insights on the challenges and progress so far as well as the direction we should be moving toward in this new decade \u2013 before it\u2019s too late.<\/em><\/p>\n

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The announcement of Greta Thunberg as\u00a0TIME\u2019s 2019 Person of the Year<\/a>\u00a0near the end of the \u201chottest decade in record\u201d recognizes climate change as an issue we should be focusing on as we step into the new decade. \u201cWe can\u2019t just continue living as if there was no tomorrow, because there is a tomorrow,\u201d the sixteen-year-old said in the TIME magazine. Greta\u2019s Fridays for Future movement in September has initiated awareness and climate strikes around the globe, consequently turning climate change into a hot topic that people talk about.<\/p>\n

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However, little has been done to mitigate it. Sea level is still rising at an alarming rate. Populations are at risk of resettlement. Intensifying heatwave is giving way to more unpredictable weather as well as storms and wildfires, including the dire situation in\u00a0Australia<\/a>\u00a0that has been spreading all over the news for months, and the whole ecosystem is in threat of collapse.<\/p>\n

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NASA predicts that climate change will continue over this century and beyond. The speed and magnitude of it, nevertheless, depends on the emissions we produce and the Earth\u2019s reaction to those. In other words, how fast the climate changes and how well we can avoid the catastrophe depends on us. So it\u2019s time we reflect on what we have done in the past decade and transition words into action in this decade \u2013 before it\u2019s too late.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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A kangaroo rushes past a burning house in Conjola, Australia, on New Year's Eve Photo By Matthew Abbott, New York Times<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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In the climate frontier: Voices from Solomon Islands<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Like many groups of settlements, Kwara\u2019ae people \u2013 the biggest ethnic group in Solomon Islands \u2013 who live in the Lilisiana settlement in Malaita province have been enduring the devastating effects of climate change.<\/p>\n

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In an interview, Chief and Chairperson of the Lilisiana Climate Change Committee (LCCC) James Mao told us that sea-level rise has been threatening the livelihood of the entire settlement.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIndeed it was only the mercy of God that we are still alive,\u201d James exclaimed as tears fell down his eyes. \u201cI say this because the sea is very big and can destroy this settlement any time it wants.\u201d<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s not the first time they face the threat of resettlement. James told us, \u201cOur first forefathers came and first settled on the Island of Aoke, a small island close to Lilisiana and but in the sea. During those days, their people really enjoyed life at sea because the sea was friendly to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

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But in the 1950s, things started to change. There were massive earthquakes and huge waves that frequently entered the island and destroyed their houses. From that time on, the Kwara\u2019ae people made up their minds to move away from Island. \u201cA lot of them moved to Ambu, while others like my grandfather left and came here to establish this Lilisiana settlement. I was born and raised here.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cEverything was okay. And during my childhood days, we really enjoyed our life staying here,\u201d James said. \u201cWe did notice the sea creeping into our settlement and even destroyed some trees standing along the seashore, but we thought it was just normal without knowing it was climate change.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe used to bury the deads near the shore without knowing that the sea level will reach that place,\u201d James told us. It wasn\u2019t until 2013 when the sea level actually reached that place and covered the graves that it caught the attention of both local and foreign media, writers, climate activists, and donors \u2013 even the national government visited them. Since his childhood days, the sea has moved about 40 meters further inland.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Chief James Mao in flooded Lilisiana village due to sea-level rise Photo by Lesley Sanga<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Initiatives<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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A climate change committee was formed under James Mao to address this issue. The Lilisiana Climate Change Committee (LCCC) has received a lot of support, but whether it\u2019s enough is another problem.<\/p>\n

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They started out initiating climate change training facilitated by donors for more awareness among the villagers.<\/p>\n

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When reports were suggesting that Solomon Island might even\u00a0run out of fresh water<\/a>\u00a0before they run out of land, the USAID from the United States visited them to discuss this issue. Shortly later, the USAID and the local group Dalgro came and installed water tanks for us.<\/p>\n

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They have also received authorities and government leaders led by their Member of Parliament (MP) for Aoke Langalanga Matthew Wale. \u201cThey came to discuss and promised to help us. But until now, nothing has been done on the ground,\u201d James commented.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cOur hope is just slim for the government to help us. We made many calls to authorities many times to at least assist but they weren\u2019t helpful.\u201d There were some training programs run by the government but that\u2019s it. But people felt that it was not enough because the village needs more physical assistance to enable them to cope with the threats of climate change.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI can only tell the story from the past until now. But from now and into the future, I cannot tell because I don\u2019t know what will happen to us,\u201d James said, not very optimistic. \u201cOur graves were already taken away and the next thing is our houses.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cAuthorities have suggested relocation for us to join the majority of our people but I\u2019m not sure if that idea can work,\u201d James raised his concern. \u201cWe left them to come here, stayed here for decades, and if we go back to where we come from, I don\u2019t think our people inland will accept us anymore. If the government really wants to relocate us, they should buy land for us so that we can go and settle there.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cFor now, we will continue to live here because we don\u2019t know what to do. We want to do something for ourselves but we don\u2019t have the resources to do anything,\u201d James remarked, representing the village as well as other least developed countries in the world who are facing the same struggles.<\/p>\n

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Voices from Myanmar<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Not too far from Solomon Islands lies South East Asia, another area that is extremely vulnerable to climate change. Myanmar, in particular, is among the countries that suffered the\u00a0most climate consequences<\/a>\u00a0in the period of 1996 to 2015 according to Climate Risk Index, which is not surprising if you consider the fact that it only\u00a0opened up<\/a>\u00a0to the world in 2012 and\u00a0graduated<\/a>\u00a0from the least developed countries list in 2018.<\/p>\n

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Myanmar has been witnessing increasingly irregular weather patterns in recent years. Some areas underwent a much longer trail of monsoon with more torrential rainfalls than ever, while other places experienced drought and extreme temperature switches. Victims who suffers the most from this unpredictable weather pattern are farmers, as well as their contribution to the country\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n

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Climate change and agriculture<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Like most of the SEA countries, Myanmar\u2019s economy primarily depends on the\u00a0agricultural sector<\/a>, which, according to data from FAO, \u201ccontributes to 37.8 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), accounts for 25 to 30 percent of total export earnings and employs 70 percent of the labor force.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cFarmers are especially vulnerable because they make only 3000 to 5000 Kyats (i.e., 2 to 3.3 USD) a day on average, and they get the money only when they get their harvest. Some have only one harvest per year. Some have three, which is the maximum for rice,\u201d Tomas Derville explained. \u201cCurrently, there is not enough allocation of funds and attention from the government to mitigate climate change.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201dFor people in the Yangon city who work for companies, they make money every month, so it\u2019s easy to manage their income,\u201d He continued. \u201cBut for farmers who make money like once every six months, if something goes wrong with the climate, the consequences are massive.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Tomas is a climate advocate and expert who has given numerous presentations in Yangon and published an article in the Myanmar Times on\u00a0climate change and agriculture<\/a>. He is currently working on a documentary to explore the effects of climate change on Myanmar\u2019s agricultural sector.<\/p>\n

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He told us that crops are supposed to grow at certain times of the year; when the temperature rises and the climate pattern becomes irregular and unpredictable, it disrupts all the processes and, consequently, the income of farmers. Not to mention, climate change also causes intensifying storms and rain that can make the crops drown. Before that, even the strength of the rain is sometimes enough to kill the plants.<\/p>\n

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It works the other way around as well: as much as climate change troubles farmers, agriculture also has a substantial amount of contribution to the climate challenge it is facing. Agriculture is directly accountable for approximately 30% of\u00a0total greenhouse gas emissions<\/a>. A lot of it comes from pesticides, chemical fertilizers, and animal wastes regularly used by farmers.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe Ayawaddy region has about 40% of Myanmar\u2019s rice production, which also exports to foreign countries, but it is running out of land due to sea-level rise,\u201d Tomas explained the detrimental relationship between climate change and agriculture. \u201cAs a result, people cut down mangroves forests to free more space for agriculture, which causes climate change to happen even faster.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Closing the gap<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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In the\u00a0Conyat Create<\/a>\u00a0office where walls highlight photographs of social issues, decorations are about recycled plastic innovations, and light illuminates positive energy, a woman-led team strives to provide sustainable solutions.<\/p>\n

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From improved communications between local communities and businesses through grievance mechanisms to advocating environmentalism and promoting sustainability within industries like energy, construction, agriculture and tourism, Conyat Create has worked on a variety of projects to create positive social impacts.<\/p>\n

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\u201cClimate change is something that is already happening; we\u2019ve seen the evidence. And the majority of people who are the most vulnerable in Myanmar are those who are in the agricultural sector,\u201d Nicole Tu-Maung, the Communications Officer at Conyat Create, pointed out. \u201cUnfortunately, they do not have many resources nor knowledge to overcome that. So someone has to step in and be the bridge, listen to the problems businesses face and give solutions that are both beneficial and sustainable.\u201d<\/p>\n

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In December 2019, Conyat Create organized an awareness event:\u00a0Eat for Climate Change<\/a>. The sustainably curated four-course dinner was served at Parasol \u2013 a garden-space restaurant powered by fans instead of air-conditioners, with strict plastic codes and food waste policies, and supports environmentally-friendly small local suppliers \u2013 to demonstrate how something that may seem as trivial as a diet is a crucial step towards the climate mitigation. The funds from\u00a0Prior to that, Conyat Create also had public talks started by Tomas Derville when he was still working at Conyat Create as a way to raise awareness and educate people about climate change. Because presenting climate change as a general topic can be repetitive, Tomas thought: \u201cWhy don\u2019t we talk about climate change from different angles?\u201d They organized a talk every month from January of 2019 till November with a total of more than 500 attendances. Each month there\u2019s a specific theme, and experts of related fields were invited to share their perspectives. Thus, the\u00a0<\/span>Climate Talks Series<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Throughout the eleven months, they have covered climate change from eleven different angles \u2013 including soil, food waste, gender, forests, water, air pollution, energy, hydropower, disaster resilience, cities, and tourism \u2013 which is extremely informative and insightful for locals.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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