In this context, the role of the civil society becomes important as it can work as a positive change maker, influencing public opinion and persuading policy changes for a better environment.

Underlining this very context, OneWorld South Asia, an organisation using ICTs to promote sustainable development, had organized a consultation on Climate Change on the 23rd March, 2007. The consultation was based on the theme - Climate Change: Where are we and where do we go?

A total of 21 participants across civil society organisations attended the consultation. The Consultation was based on a participatory format wherein everyone shared their perceptions on climate change, as well as apprised us about the initiatives taken by their organisations on this important issue. The deliberations in the consultation broadly focused on –

  • Where India stands regarding climate change.

  • What role the civil society can play in mitigating and adapting to climate change.

  • How we can address this common concern with collaborations on effective programme planning and implementation.

The consultation commenced with examples being cited on the ways in which the effects of climate change are being felt in the greater region of South Asia – for instance in the disruption of agriculture, increased instances of floods, droughts and cyclones and a greater vulnerability of the population to diseases. Climate change effects were particularly detailed out in two fragile ecosystems, viz. – the Himalayan glaciers and the Sundarbans which are the largest mangrove ecosystem in the world. Glacial retreat in the Himalayas is most importantly set to have far-reaching implications for water, food and energy security in the entire South Asia.

To tackle the issue, some key requirements were identified at the beginning, viz.:

  • Advocacy at all levels

  • Awareness and sensitization

  • National and regional campaigns

  • Networking among stakeholders

  • Well-defined programmatic interventions

Recommendations and points which emerged during the course of the consultation are as follows:

  • Effects of climate change are becoming increasingly visible. These effects need to be documented at all levels.

  • Solutions (success stories) to ameliorate the situation have to be gathered at all levels and then shared to encourage their replication. We need to collate local solutions at the local level and then share the local initiatives at the global level. For e.g. - local communities in Sundarbans are completely dependent on the natural resources of the area and have been evolving indigenous response strategies to the changing climate patterns. These need to be used in a bottom up consultation process to develop an adaptation strategy on a larger scale.

  • Knowledge sharing and learning from the North to the South and vice versa needs greater encouragement

  • Media interventions whether in print, radio, TV, films and internet - can play a pivotal role in mainstreaming the issue. There is a need to build a content consortium to assist knowledge sharing.

  • Any campaign must most necessarily involve common people as there is always a need for strong, collective voices. Constituency development is to be facilitated through networking. Regular consultations and interactions should be organised to bring together stakeholders at multiple levels.

  • Translating scientific knowledge into people’s knowledge so that communities of practice (CoPs) can be strengthened. Quantitative estimates are to be evaluated and dovetailed with qualitative analysis

  • Need of the hour is also that Governments start treating this issue as a top priority; allotting more resources for it and initiating effective strategies on the ground for mitigation and adaptation. Any kind of responsive governance will involve public participation.

  • Policy engagement and a need to lobby for greener policies, for e.g. a green sky policy. Key areas of intervention could be water, energy, food security and livelihood issues.

  • The unreached or the uninformed are to be reached out to, using effective communication strategies. Communication is to be customized according to the target audience. Having the right kind of knowledge at the right platform is required.

  • Need to sensitize the young population, starting from the school level itself. Environmental education should be a part of the school curriculum. Classroom learning must be complemented with practical, fun learning methods, based outdoors.

  • Major sectors like agriculture, infrastructure, transport, power and water must consider global climate change as an important factor before they plan for their future development and growth

  • ICT tools are most effective for any knowledge dissemination process and their utility must be taken advantage of in all ways possible.

  • The essential pre-requisite to any of the above measures is education of oneself and setting precedents for others to follow

Some ongoing civil society initiatives that can be referred to presently are –

  • The Climate Action Network (CAN), with its secretariat in Bangladesh, is a network of NGOs working to limit human-induced climate change to ecologically sustainable levels.

  • TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute), India is initiating a project on adaptation and advocacy of green technology, which in turn lays stress on the need to revive the Open Knowledge Network Programme for sharing information so that issues are addressed both at the local and global levels .

  • WWF has started a climate witness programme to record first hand observations of the impacts of Climate Change, for using them as tools for advocacy.

  • Climate Change Network for Nepal (CCNN) works jointly with the government to share information on benefits of adaptation and highlighting climate change vulnerabilities in coming years.

As an ICT-based media and advocacy organisation, OneWorld South Asia would be happy to assist and associate with the following:

  • <!--[if !supportLists]-->Sharing stories from various organisations – case studies / success stories /solutions

  • <!--[if !supportLists]--> <!--[endif]-->Supporting the use of radio as a tool for effective communications, advocacy and to strengthen CoPs

  • <!--[if !supportLists]--><!--[endif]-->Introducing web-based tools for interactions at various levels and in multiple languages: open eNRICH / d-groups, etc