Climate means the average weather in a place and it takes years to change whereas weather can change in just a few hours. In recent time climate change is viewed as one of the most important global problems which affect directly or indirectly alter the structure of the environment. Recent events have emphatically demonstrated our growing vulnerability to climate change. The impact of climate change has seen in numerous aspects, for instance human health, ecosystem health and biodiversity, food production, economic growth, tourism, and water resources (Kovats et al., 2005). Climate patterns play a fundamental role in determining natural ecosystems, and the human economic and cultures that depend on them. Climate change effects livelihood of the society, sensitive diseases comprise of heat-related diseases, waterborne diseases, vector borne diseases, diseases cause from air pollution and diseases related to extreme weather conditions such as floods, droughts, windstorms and fires. Mostly the water borne ailments are spread by the flood and induce pollution extremely when rainwater floods the urban metropolis. The flood water over flown in the urban area is highly polluted and leads to considerable pollution in the natural water sources. The earth’s climate is dynamic and always changing through a natural cycle. However, what the world is more worried about is that the changes that are occurring today have been speeded up because of human activities.
The impact of human activities to the climate change comes as a result of excessive emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) into the atmosphere. Greenhouse effect is the rise in temperature that the earth experience because certain gases in the atmosphere like carbon dioxide, methane, water vapour, nitrous oxide and chlorofluorocarbons trap energy from the sun and retain greater part of the trapped energy which caused the warming and changing of the global climate experienced in the world today. With contrasting views of whether climate change is authentic and/or whether it is impacting various natural disasters, it is surprising that the perception of the people regarding climate change and natural disasters has been minimally researched. It is reported that Regional influences may also play a large role in shaping the overall perception an individual may have about atmospheric hazards, non atmospheric hazards, or both. Some natural disaster research, such as on floods, earthquakes, suggests that individuals may perform self-protective behaviors because of several factors such as previous exposure, future risk, efficacy and cost of protective behaviors, perceived ability to act, and wishful thinking. Climate change impacts range from affecting agriculture, further endangering food security, to sea-level rise and the accelerated erosion of coastal zones increasing the intensity of natural disasters, species extinction, and spread of vector-borne diseases. This issue is of immense importance for every global citizen and it requires an initiative against it globally. As the adverse effects of climate change worsen the situation around the world, we are slowly coming to realize that many different approaches to thinking about solving environmental issues exist. Present day issues like climate change encompass various disciplines and require different approaches to solving different problems. Be it the importance of market-based instruments in reducing the emission of greenhouse gases or the importance of trees and technological improvement in sequestering carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, problems require individual and tailored solutions. At the same time, given the global and multidisciplinary nature of climate change in particular, we also require solutions with similarly global characteristics.
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is the most prominent international coalition that designs and regulates international action towards adapting to and mitigating climate change. While UNFCCC has been slow in designing effective and timely action, it also faces a range of difficulties. The diversity in nations’ vulnerability to climate change alongside the need for fossil-fuel induced growth means that countries prioritize climate change policies differently according to their own interests and needs. In particular, there has always been a discrepancy between developing and developed countries in who bears responsibility for combating climate change. There is tension between developing and developed nations due to the fossil-fuel induced industrialization that forms the backbone of most economies. Developed countries are pushing for a balanced narrative to focus on the implications of a continued fossil-fuel led growth by nations such as India and China to the global environment. The first breakthrough in international climate policy came in the form of the Kyoto Protocol; a binding agreement where developed countries were required to reduce their emissions while developing countries were allowed to pursue economic growth under the theme of “common but differentiated responsibilities.” As countries such as India and China with some of the highest emissions in the world were not subject to emission reduction demands, the agreement slowly died out, its death exacerbated by the withdrawal of developed countries such as Canada. Today, the global movement is shaped by the Paris Agreement — the much anticipated successor of the Kyoto Protocol — which functions with the 197 Parties to the convention announcing and committing to their own climate ambition. While the youth is often at the forefront of climate activism, it is mostly the older generations that are in the driving seat of international climate policy. However, the youth plays a central role in the movement against climate change for various reasons. Most importantly, the youth of today is the generation that is most likely to experience the global shifts that climate change will bring about in the coming decades. Some estimates suggest that under the current Business As Usual emissions scenario, sea levels can rise by four feet by the year 2100, wiping out entire coastal cities such as Shanghai and New York.
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Acknowledging this dissonance, the UNFCCC formally established Youth NGOs as one of the nine constituencies under the UNFCCC process. YOUNGO brings incredible youth organizations from around the world together to work on the global climate movement. Members of YOUNGO not only represent their institution or country in climate negotiations around the world but are also given the opportunity to address high level segments of the negotiations, make submissions, attend workshops and meet with officials of the convention such as the Chairs of the subsidiary bodies as well as the Conference of Parties Presidency. Youth from all around the world as well as youth organizations working on global climate movement are welcome to be part of YOUNGO. At NYU Abu Dhabi, the Green House SIG is one such youth climate think tank that performs research and advocacy concerning topics related to climate change. Students usually get involved with Green House in their freshman year. With a range of events including Mock Climate Conferences, movie nights, team dinners, guest workshops and panel discussions, students get to increase their understanding of climate policy at a deeper level yet in a fun way. Currently, the Green House SIG is seeking collaboration with YOUNGO to increase the network between NYU Abu Dhabi students and other youth organizations serving the global climate movement. Given the importance of the youth in understanding the policy behind climate change and acknowledging the role they will play in the coming decades, it is imperative for countries to scale up the involvement of the youth in national level policymaking similar to what UNFCCC has done on the international stage. It is perhaps time that the older generation of climate diplomats hand over the baton to the younger generation — or at least mentor them — as they seem to be more driven and passionate about this issue. Until then, climate groups like Green House and other YOUNGO constituencies will remain the highest level of youth involvement in international climate policy. It is concluded that when it comes to tackling climate change, everyone needs to be brought to the table, especially women and young people. Women have invaluable knowledge of community and social norms that can be harnessed into climate action.
Studies on women and disaster show that when women are engaged as decision makers in resilience and disaster plans, they are better able to adapt and manage the impacts. And for youth, they are one of the largest demographics in the world — more than 1 billion worldwide! There is so much strength and innovation that can come from this group. A big part of getting youth involved in solving climate change is starting from a solid knowledge foundation. Society needs citizens who understand the climate system and know how to apply that knowledge in their careers and in their engagement as active members of their communities. We know that empowering women and youth benefits everyone. It increases the number of supporters and active participants in the climate change dialogue, and offers diverse perspectives and solutions. When everyone comes together, with a united purpose to solve this problem, we can surely make a difference. We know that this problem is so vast that no one country can solve it alone. No country too small can sit on the sidelines either. Everyone must do their part. We all have to focus on what we can do to protect the only earth we have.
( Dr Bilal A Bhat is Associate Professor at SKUAST Srinagar and Sidrat-Ul-Muntaha Anees is Assistant Professor, Government College for Women, M.A.Road Srinagar. Views of the author are their own)