Climate Resilience Amidst Undeniable Crises

13 September 2021 @ 11:30 am – 1:30 pm UTC+8

Storytelling

Moderator: Jhannel Tomlinson, IWRAW Asia Pacific, Jamaica

Speakers:
Ewi Stephanie Lamma, Desire of the Nation (DON), Cameroon
Pratima Gurung, National Indigenous Disabled Women Association (NIDWAN), Nepal
Karen Philip, Caribbean Policy Development Centre (CPDC), Barbados
Phylicia Alexander, RedRoot SVG Inc., St Vincent and the Grenadines

Description: While the COVID-19 pandemic provided a glimpse of a change towards a more equitable and just world, it has intensified the already unmanageable impacts of climate events. Within the last year, extreme weather events severely impacted the lives of many, shattering the livelihoods of communities, especially in small island developing states (SIDS) and low-income countries in the Global South. The different climate events, along with the pandemic and imposed, prolonged lockdowns, exacerbated issues including food security, displacement, access to water and natural resources, and even tourism industries. Women food producers’ income and ability to provide for their families were significantly affected by the pandemic, which increased cases of hunger and malnutrition, and in some instances, gender-based violence. In Fiji, LGBTIQ+ communities faced loss and damage to their homes and livelihoods as a result of tropical cyclones Harold and Yasa. In Latin America and the Caribbean, many people lost their families and communities as a result of floods caused by hurricanes during which there were calls to action for local and international NGOs to assist affected communities. 2020 also saw international corporations take advantage of the pandemic to continue invasion and deforestation of Indigenous lands, with governments using this form of exploitation to build back their economies, while relying on greenwashing as a cover for the continuation of the same neoliberal, extractive economic and development agendas that have exacerbated inequalities for decades. Around the world, volcanoes continue to erupt as families and communities evacuate their homes to find safety. Communities like women, LGBTIQ+ people, ethnic and racial minorities, especially Indigenous communities, and those permanently displaced will be most burdened by these impacts and less likely to receive relief from stakeholders owing to the lack of inclusive analysis in their responses.

Watch the session in the video below, or click to view it on Youtube.