Adaptation and civil society groups
What role can civil society actors play in climate adaptation? #
Countries and communities around the world need to prepare for the impacts of climate change. Government action is central to climate adaptation, but achieving a goal of this magnitude requires the involvement of diverse actors. In particular, international, national, and local nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), as well as communities and community-based groups, have the potential to advance adaptation. These actors can engage in a diverse range of activities from education and advocacy work, to directly leading the planning and implementation of concrete projects and programs. This contest seeks proposals that elaborate the ways in which civil society actors can either support the actions of government or take independent action to achieve climate adaptation.
Submissions All proposals should be submitted here: https://www.climatecolab.org/web/guest/plans/-/plans/contestId/19
Deadline June 15, 2013, at 11:59 Eastern Standard Time
Rules All entrants must agree to the 2012-13 contest rules.
Prizes The contest winners will be invited to present their work at the Crowds and Climate Conference at MIT November 6-7, 2013, and at the event, a $10,000 Grand Prize will be awarded to one of the contest winners
Related Climate CoLab contests #
Guidelines from the Contest Advisor & Team #
Successful proposals should be innovative, creative, and clearly address the contest's core question. They may also incorporate one or more of the key issues outlined below. Proposals should provide specific details about project design, partners, relevant local context, potential timelines, and the processes that are being proposed to enable successful design and implementation.
Framing the Question: Advancing NGO and Community Engagement in Climate Adaptation #
Adapting to climate change will be a monumental undertaking in countries and communities around the world. Governments are central actors in promoting adaptation. Often overlooked or silent on this issue, NGOs and community groups have the potential to be directly involved in both advocating for and designing and implementing adaptation initiatives.
Recognizing and expanding the role of NGOs and community groups in the adaptation process represents a crucial opportunity to improve the overall success of responses to climate change. This contest capitalizes on that opportunity by providing a shared space for the development of strategies that increase the potential for NGOs and community groups to contribute to or lead adaptation efforts.
Key Issues #
- Building on Expertise: Many countries and communities have experience responding to climate variability and natural hazards, such as flooding, drought, and heat waves. What existing NGO and community-based response strategies can be applied to climate adaptation? What is the potential for scaling-up these strategies or transporting them across borders?
- Collaboration: Bringing together multiple groups to work on climate adaptation has the potential to combine diverse skills and resources and maximize the impact of adaptive strategies. What creative collaborations could NGOs and community groups spearhead to address vulnerabilities and promote adaptation? How can collaborations be designed and managed to be most effective and to draw on the strengths of diverse governmental and non-governmental stakeholders? What are the distinct advantages of NGOs and community groups when it comes to bridging geographies, scales, interests, and capacity for action?
- Synergies: Adaptive responses to climate change will be carried out in a context of competing priorities and constrained resources. What synergies exist between specific adaptation initiatives and other developmental goals in areas like health, economic development, housing, and increased access to basic services? How can NGOs and community groups contribute to goal achievement in these and other areas?
- Financing: Many adaption measures require significant financial resources. What new financing measures could NGOs and community groups design and implement to promote, support, and sustain adaptation?
- Jurisdiction: Political boundaries are rarely aligned with the ecological scale of climate change impacts. NGOs often have the potential to bridge boundaries and represent a collective interest in large-scale solutions. However, they do not have governmental authority and must work within complex jurisdictions. How can NGOs be most effective within this framework?
Contest Judges #
Dr. Jim Jarvie, Thismia Focus, Edinburgh #
Jim Jarvie served as Mercy Corps' global Director for Climate Change, Environment and Natural Resources where he designed, implemented and evaluated climate-related natural resource management, community energy, and Disaster Risk Reduction programs across the world in humanitarian and development settings. A biologist with 14 years of experience in climate change, natural resources management, and spatial planning in Asia, he currently serves as Senior Climate and Environment Advisor to Mercy Corps and Director of ThismiaFocus where he researches climate adaptation and community resilience building in Asia, develops strategic programming, and provides management support to a range of partner organizations.
Ms. Carolina Zambrano-Barragan, Avina Foundation, Ecuador #
Carolina Zambrano-Barragan is the National Representative for Avina Foundation in Ecuador and a Professor at the Universidad Andina Simon Bolivar's Graduate Programme on Climate Change. Prior to joining Avina, Carolina was Metropolitan Director of Environmental Policy and Planning for the City of Quito and previously served as Undersecretary of Climate Change at the Ministry of Environment of Ecuador. She has also carried out several consulting and research initiatives on environmental policy and climate change around the world--from the Galapagos Islands to the Cordillera Blanca (Peru) and Madagascar--always keeping a strong focus on the integration of local, national and international climate change initiatives with human development and biodiversity conservation. Carolina earned a degree in Biology from Ecuador's Catholic University and holds a Master's degree on Environmental Management from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.
Dr. Coleen Vogel, Professor and Consultant, South Africa
Contest Advisor & Team #
MIT Professor JoAnn Carmin is the Advisor for this contest. The contest team is lead by MIT Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. Alex Aylett with the assistance of CoLab Fellows Clara Suh and Christopher Rhie.
References #
- Community-Based Climate Adaptation Planning: Case Study of Oakland, California by The Pacific Institute, 2012
- Civil Society and the Integration of Climate Change Risks into Planning and Policy-making by Nella Canales, 2011
- Special Issue on Community-Based Adaptation to Climate Change of IIED Participatory Learning and Action #60, 2009
- Special Issue on Community-Based Adaptation of Tiempo Magazine #68, 2008
- Local Institutions and Climate Change Adaptation by Arun Agrawal, Catherine McSweeney and Nicolas Perrin, 2008