How do governments and communities respond to climate change effects?

HELLEN DAWO: Is there a climate crisis? In the last decade alone, the world has experienced natural disasters ranging from heatwaves in the northern hemisphere, drought and spreading deserts, forest fires, and dust storms. From the Sahel to the South Pacific, from Mozambique, the Bahamas, Australia, France, the list goes on. Climate change is making life on Earth more challenging. Despite all the efforts to adapt the means and the rate of development, the effects of climate change are still being felt globally. The targets on emissions reduction are still hard to meet. Is it a time of intense difficulty and danger due to climate change? If your answer to this question is yes, then there is a climate crisis. What are the proposed solutions?

Think about your daily routine. You wake up in the morning, take a shower, prepare your breakfast, eat breakfast, then go to your office or school. Did you know that if you changed how you do any of these activities, you are taking part in climate action? By taking shorter showers, eating local produce, walking, or taking public transport, you’re participating in the United Nations Act Now campaign for individual action to confront the climate challenge. This is a solution on the individual scale. Consider a coastal community experiencing floods due to sea level rise. A possible solution to the problem is the use of vegetation, such as mangroves for coastal defence.

The vegetation reduces the strength of the waves before they reach the shore, and as a result, this reduces coastal flooding. This solution requires the following, one, local knowledge. Perhaps the mangrove was the original vegetation of the area before agriculture or urbanisation changed the land use. Two, scientific knowledge, such as this vegetation could help to bind the soil and prevent soil erosion. Three, community engagement. The inhabitants of the area need to accept the change in the land use and possible loss to their income. Four, policy makers. Realisation of the solution requires agreement from policy makers, such as agricultural officers, urban planners, or coastal management officers.

This example shows that the decisions about climate adaptation require multiple stakeholders, such as area inhabitants, public officers, or even politicians, working at different levels, such as local, regional, or national to adopt innovative strategies, despite perceived threats, such as the loss of an economic activity, like agriculture. This is a solution on the regional scale. Now, on a national scale, climate adaptation decisions have to be made and implemented. Examples of decisions are how to transition from fossil to renewable energy, how to adapt agricultural practises, and how to adapt to new weather conditions. These decisions need stakeholders from different sectors to work together on a common solution. It makes climate adaptation governance a complex subject, but with effort, still very achievable.