Planning for actions and resources by communities. Credit: SGP St. Lucia

After years of working with grassroots organizations in Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States, I can confidently say that communities around the developing world are acutely aware of the toll climate change is taking. But it is also the case that these communities possess the knowledge and will to adapt to those impacts.

These communities have deep stores of intergenerational wisdom and knowledge about proven adaptation practices—practices that have been tested through decades through trial and error, and are an invaluable means for these communities to cope with climate hazards and uncertainties.

But if the knowledge and will are there, the resources are not—indeed, “we don’t have the resources” is far and away the single biggest obstacle these communities say is preventing them from implementing projects. This is troubling for practitioners like myself, since it means that…

House built for relocated Mahaica resident. Credit: Samuel Maughn

 Mrs Doodnauth is being interviewed about the fact that the effects of climate change are what led the family to abandon their home and farmlands in the Mahaica Creek and relocate to an area identified by the authorities. She was clear climate change was not the reason.- “And what’s the reason?”

During COP21, the LPAA partners are responding to the “Lima Call for Climate Action” launched at COP20 by convening a series of events that showcase actions and commitments by LPAA stakeholders. A series of LPAA Focus high level events highlights commitments in each of the 12 LPAA Action Areas.

Source: Climate Conference

The Secretary-General said: “I am heartened by the significant and growing coalitions that are emerging to tackle the challenges of climate change and realize new opportunities. I am pleased to be joined by so many key partners to scale climate action efforts and make them sustainable.”

The Secretary-General, joined by the World Bank; the Global Environment Facility; the Compact of Mayors and Michael Bloomberg, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change; the World Business Council for Sustainable Development; We Mean Business; and the University of Maryland, will co-sponsor a “Climate Action 2016” summit of leaders from government, business, cities and localities, civil society and academia on May 5–6 in Washington, D.C.

This high-level gathering will complement ongoing implementation efforts and catalyze actionable, concrete deliverables in specific high-value areas, including: cities; land use; resilience; energy; transport; tools for decision makers; and finance.

Source:  UNFCC Newsroom

Education is crucial to promote changes in lifestyles, attitudes and behavior needed to foster sustainable development and to address climate change. That’s why UNFCCC got involved in many activities for young people – i.e. a video competition.

Source: UN Framework on Climate Change

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon gave the following address at the close of COP21 Action Day in Paris:

Ban Ki-Moon Closing Address at COP21 Action Day

“I thank President Hollande for convening this gathering, and for France’s engagement as one of the co-leaders of the Lima-Paris Action Agenda, along with Peru, the United Nations and the UNFCCC.

I have been looking forward to Action Day because it is about the solutions we so urgently need. Today is about action by all sectors of society. It is about innovation and imagination; collaboration and partnership. It is about our collective future, and it is about hope.

Today, as never before, the stars are aligned in favour of strong, concerted action on climate change. The pace of climate action is quickening.

Governments, cities, the private sector, investors, and the public at large increasingly understand the grave risks posed by climate change.

They also see…

In the Caribbean, some women find themselves on the frontline with the battle to mitigate climate change. Meet Dr. Krystal Cox. She is one of three  girls who all studied medicine and got medical degrees.

Unlike her two siblings who stayed in the medical profession, Cox, 32, is working in a different field. She works on her father’s farm tackling a different kind of threat than sickness and disease.

Having spent almost all of her life on the farm, Cox has seen first-hand the effects of climate change, something she describes as “a serious issue” which people don’t talk about enough and which requires more resources.

“This year it was a very bad drought and there were lots of crops and no irrigation in the area where they were planted,” she explained.

“When we realised that the drought was getting very serious we tried our best to get irrigation around…

Monday saw the opening of a long awaited United Nations conference on climate change in Paris, where heads of government from all over the world have given themselves a Dec. 12 deadline to sign a new agreement on emissions reductions and other measures to limit global temperature increase.

Caribbean leaders including St. Lucia Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony, Caricom’s lead head of government on climate change, are at the conference advocating action to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to global temperatures before the industrial age.

“For small-island developing states like ours, the science has shown that any long-term global temperature increase above 1.5 degrees Celsius would be catastrophic,” Dr. Anthony said in a message issued Monday.

Scientists say the global temperature has already increased by one degree Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels, and that if greenhouse gas emissions stay at current levels, the temperature will…