Why we are needed:
Climate change has always been with us. What is alarming about the present era is the unprecedented rate of change. For most of us living near sea level, these changes are barely perceptible. However, recently published research suggests that in some high altitude regions (for example in the Tibetan plateau and in parts of the Himalayas), the atmosphere has been warming at between two and three times the rate at sea level. One report (in press) suggests that Nepal’s mean annual temperature rose 1.3°C between 1975 and 2005. This may not sound much, but it is the fastest rate of change in mankind’s history, and has already brought dramatic changes to the monsoon cycle and seasonal weather patterns. Snow melt and (in some areas) glacier melt are no longer reliable water resources.
These changes produce complex geomorphological responses such as mass erosion, flooding and slope failures that put lives and communities at risk. They also produce severe ecological, social and economic consequences, affecting both the number and type of crops that can be grown. The impacts of climate change fall most heavily upon millions of mountain people, living in already marginal communities and at subsistence level. But according to the International Panel for Climate Change, worse is to come. Their predictions include heavier inundations and longer periods of drought for these latitudes, nearer the equator.
Initially, The Glacier Trust (TGT) has chosen to focus its work upon mountain communities in Nepal, one of the world’s poorest countries, with a rural population of over 20 million people. Unlike other countries in the region, Nepal does not yet have a National Adaptation Programme of Action with which to respond to the crises precipitated by climate change. This responsibility falls largely to Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) whose work has the potential to improve millions of lives. In assessing the scale of the problem, it is important to remember that, despite the changes afflicting Nepali hill farmers, the wider concept of climate change is unknown to them. The work of NGOs, therefore, is crucial for their future viability.
Bridging the gap between science and the community:
Many NGOs are already on the ground in Nepal, working at the grassroots level with mountain communities. A number are highly respected and benefit from strong local and regional networks. The Glacier Trust was founded after a period of research and consultation with these NGOs and with Southampton University as to how a relatively small organisation could have most impact in the field of climate change. The conclusion was that climate change is fundamentally altering the direction of community development, so that NGOs needed financial support:
(i)to strengthen the scientific base of their pilot programmes, in order to have a robust basis for replicating them on a wider scale.
(ii)to build capacity of their officers and local experts, so that programmes can be implemented more effectively in this rapidly changing environment.
TGT’s financial support enables NGOs to improve their scientific understanding of the problems of climate change, and to improve their capacity to implement solutions.
How do we achieve this?
The concept of capacity building is very important. For example, there is precious little use in ‘outsiders’ suggesting that a community make changes in agricultural practice (for example where the delay in the monsoon mean the loss of a rice crop) if the community does not learn to build its own adaptation strategies. Adaptation strategies already used by communities also need to be better understood by scientists. It is then important to monitor adaptations both to see where else they might be applied and to understand what the potential problems might be.
The Glacier Trust provides the basis for education and training by which the relationship between science and the community is strengthened so that experience and skills can be translated and shared between communities.
A vast body of climate change science exists. However in the Developing World it is seldom available at a local level. Where it is available, broad brush solutions need to be adapted to meet local needs. The process of developing, adapting and implementing scientific information for local projects is therefore often a first stage. But their scaling up to a regional level or beyond is key to successful development in this varied environment. NGOs urgently need more officers with a scientific background which will enable them to adapt existing science to local needs and to implement programmes. Once implemented, programmes will need to be assessed to determine how best they can be replicated on a wider scale. TGT’s partner, the University of Southampton’s GeoData Institute working with postgraduate schools in Nepali universities will play an important part in this programme. See Education Programme
Project Selection Criteria:
On the basis of their local knowledge, our partners have identified the following development sectors where the problems of climate change are most acute and where the Trust’s support is particularly needed:
- Forest conservation, management and consideration of other forms of renewable energy than timber
- Water resource management under Nepal’s differing topographical and climatic regimes
- Slope stability and bioengineering
- Agricultural diversity and ecology Hazard awareness and mitigation. This includes landslides, flash flooding, the degradation of permafrost and catastrophic outburst floods from rapidly melting glaciers.
Summary and future prospects:
The Glacier Trust addresses the problems that climate change inflicts upon the world’s most marginal populations by linking climate change science to those communities most affected. It achieves this selecting a cross section of need-based, climate change related, development projects in Nepal. These projects have the potential to be expanded. By embedding capacity building programmes into these projects The Trust adds value at local, national and even international levels. As this formula develops over time, the Trust’s remit will widen to other Himalayan and South American countries, working with a wider range of sectors and partners.
Table: Present and future spread of TGT projects
|
Geographical Area |
Project |
Add-ons |
Budget |
Amount raised |
|
High Hills: Himalayas |
Permafrost melt and glacier hazard mitigation |
Monitoring (RS, GIS) Risk analysis |
£35,000 |
£1,000 |
|
Mid Hills Solu Khumbu |
Forest conservation and alternative fuels |
Bioengineering and slope stability |
£20,000 |
£15,000 |
|
Low Hills Siwaliks |
Integrated Water Resources Management |
Bioengineering and slope stability |
£20,000 |
£20,000 |
