Dear Friend,
First the good news. Thanks to the efforts of our program team and project partners, Climate Parliament, 20 parliamentarians from South Asia, 10 from Nepal and 10 from Bangladesh have endorsed the call for a Fossil fuel free future to address the urgency of a swift and just transition away from fossil fuels and building democratic, renewable, safe energy systems for all people and communities.
In another exciting development, thanks to the efforts of our partner Engio, Kolkata became the largest city in the world to support the call for Fossil Fuel non-proliferation Treaty. The formal announcement was made by Mayor Firhad Hakim on September 14, during a specially called session of dignitaries in presence of senior officials of Climate Action Network South Asia, which piloted the initiative.
However, the bad news continues, as impacts of climate change continue to hammer the region, and this time it was the catastrophic floods in Pakistan. The two southern provinces, Sindh and Balochistan, each experienced their wettest August ever recorded, receiving 7 and 8 times their usual monthly totals. The rains and resulting flooding affected over 33 million people, destroyed 1.7 million homes, and nearly 1500 people lost their lives. We have been in touch with our partners in Pakistan and thankfully all of them are safe and secure, but suffering from the aftermath of the disaster. We stand with them in solidarity and will continue to demand urgent climate action, push for loss and damage, climate finance and international support to rehabilitate the worst impacted and most vulnerable at all forums, including the upcoming COP27.
On another note, we also congratulate the new members of CANSA’s India National Steering Committee which was formed on Friday 16 Sept, and wish them the very best in their role as advisory body to the CANSA Board on global and regional policy positions.
Do continue to keep us informed of your activities from time to time. We always look forward to hearing from you.
Sanjay Vashist
Director, CAN South Asia
On 16th September, members of CANSA India met to finalise the formation of the National Steering Committee (NSC) and the new committee members are as follows:
1. Megha Saklani – Vikram A Sarabhai Community Science Centre
2. Ahmed Pathan – Greenplanet India
3. S. Cyril Alexander – Mary Anne Charity Trust
4. Dr. Edmond Fernandes – Edward & Cynthia Institute of Public Health
5. Jayanta Basu – EnGIO
6. Jitu Kumar – EFICOR
7. Gitika Goswami – Development Alternatives (DA)
8. Anant Bhaskar Garg – Harita Dhara Research Development and Education Foundation (HRDEF)
9. Ashish Pahwa – Indian Youth Climate Network
10. Mahesh Patel – VIKSAT
Hearty Congratulations to the new members of the NSC. We wish the team all the very best! Details about the NSCs are available in the CANSA Charter.
For updates on Upcoming Events,
do check the following section on our website:
https://cansouthasia.net/upcoming-events/
Policy Brief – Enhance Climate Ambition and Global Stocktake with Local Sustainable Energy
A large number of local, sustainable energy solutions are important climate solutions. Including them fully in climate plans will make it easier to reach higher ambitions in climate mitigation and adaptation. With this paper, we showcase local energy solutions that are important for climate action, with examples from South Asia, but with relevance for many world regions. We also highlight how and why to include them in climate plans and GST.
Download Report Here.
Report: Participatory Research on Climate-induced Migration and Displacement
“Climate change is having devastating impacts on communities’ lives, livelihoods and food security across South Asia. Its consequences are so severe that it is increasingly contributing to migration, and this incidence is likely to escalate much more in the years to come as climate change impacts become more serious.” According to ICMD’s latest Global Report on Internal Displacement, 3.3 million new displacements occurred in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Afghanistan, triggered by seasonal and recurring weather-related extreme events in 2018.
Download report here
Now 10 Parliamentarians from Bangladesh endorse the call for a Fossil Fuel Free Future
Ten Members of Parliament of Bangladesh endorsed the Parliamentarians’ call for a fossil fuel free future’ to address the urgency of a swift and just transition away from fossil fuels and building democratic, renewable, safe energy systems for all people and communities.
The ten MPs – Tanvir Shakil Joy, Waseqa Ayesha Khan, Mustafa Lutfullah, Ahsan Adelur Rahman, Naheed Ezaher Khan, Selim Altaf Gorge, Shameem Haidar Patwary, Razee Mohammad Fakhrul, Pankaj Nath, and Rumana Ali – are prominent leaders who have pushed the climate agenda in Parliament.
Vanuatu makes a historic call for treaty to end the fossil fuel era.
At the UN General Assembly, the President of Vanuatu stood up at the UN General Assembly and became the first national state to call for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty. The President of Vanuatu His Excellency Nikenike Vurobaravu made the historic call on the floor of the UN General Assembly, making Vanuatu the first nation-state to call for an international mechanism to stop the expansion of all new fossil fuel projects, and manage a global just transition away from coal, oil and gas. The President took this historic first call to the main stage of the Global Citizen Festival in Central Park on September 24.
“Climate change threatens the very existence of the tiny island nation of Vanuatu, whose very name ironically means ‘Our Land Forever’. Vanuatu is among many Pacific region island states who have contributed the very least to climate change, yet have shown enormous courage and resilience to fight for climate justice. On behalf of the civil society of South Asia, I congratulate the Republic of Vanuatu for being the first nation to support the call for a global fossil fuel nonproliferation treaty and hope more countries in South Asia will endorse this important global initiative.” said Sanjay Vashist, Director, Climate Action Network South Asia (CANSA)
Kolkata becomes largest city in the world to support the call for Fossil Fuel Treaty
Kolkata mayor Firhad Hakim signed the fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty propagated by Climate Action Network of South Asia (CANSA) on Wednesday to join the league of cities attempting to dramatically reduce carbon emission. The formal announcement was made by Mayor Firhad Hakim on September 14, during a specially called session of dignitaries in presence of senior officials of Climate Action Network, which piloted the initiative. It joins 64 other cities and subnational governments across the world, including the likes of Paris, London, Sydney and Los Angeles, that have endorsed the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, according to a statement by municipal corporation.
10 more parliamentarians from Nepal call for a Fossil fuel free future
10 more prominent parliamentarians from Nepal endorsed the ‘Parliamentarians’ call for a fossil fuel free future’ to address the urgency of a swift and just transition away from fossil fuel energy and building democratic, renewable, safe energy systems for all people and communities in line with the goal of keeping global temperature rise below to 1.5 degrees C and preventing climate catastrophe.
Regional Climate Conference
The conference was based on Climatizing Sustainable Development and Human Rights: The Climate Crisis and How to Respond to It as Civil Society in Asia along with a Guided tour to the CCDB Climate Change Program area in coastal Bangladesh.
Launch of South Asia Database of Local Climate Solutions
The objective of the webinar was to introduce the database-library and invite CSOs in the South Asia region to enrich the database with technological and financial solutions, planning methods, publications, and CSOs working on the field. The Database includes 40+ Solutions in the 6 main Categories from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. The Main Categories are: Cooking, Off Grid Power, Heating and Cooling, Water Supply, Organic Gardening and Agriculture, and Village Development Planning tools.
Doctors For Clean Air Conclave 2022
This conclave was organised on the occasion of the third United Nations International Day of Clean Air for blue skies, under the theme ‘The Air We Share’. The resolution to observe the day stresses the importance of an urgent need to raise public awareness at all levels and promote and facilitate actions to improve air quality.
Latest blog of this quarter
Launch of EVD Solution Repository
The Eco Village Development project partners organised a webinar on ”Launch of Online Database of Eco Village Development Project in South Asia”. The objective of the webinar is to launch the repository and invite CSOs in the South Asia region to enrich it with technological and financial solutions, planning methods, publications, and CSOs working on the field. The local solutions are not well recognised in the development planning as compared with the large or centralised solutions.
We welcome comments and feedback on the blogs.
Vanuatu Calls for Treaty to End Fossil Fuel Use
thewire.in | 24th Sept 2022
Read more…
Kolkata Becomes First Indian City To Back Treaty To Phase Out Fossil Fuels
www.bqprime.com | 15th Sept 2022
Read more…
Kolkata becomes the first Indian city to support the fossil fuel phase-out treaty
timesofindia.indiatimes.com | 15th Sept 2022
Read more…
Kolkata becomes the first Indian city to support the treaty phasing out fossil fuels
newsdubai.org | 14th Sept 2022
Read more…
Kolkata Becomes First Indian City To Back Treaty To Phase Out Fossil Fuels
amazonofferspro.com | 14th Sept 2022
Read more…
Kolkata to join green pledge global list
www.telegraphindia.com | 14th Sept 2022
Read more…
Kolkata Becomes First Indian City To Back Treaty To Phase Out Fossil Fuels
click2promotions.com | 14th Sept 2022
Read more…
Indian coal hub juggles need for jobs with hope for greener future
news.trust.org | 8th Sept 2022
Read more…
https://cansouthasia.net/resources/cansa-in-the-news/
Increasing Local Government Budget Allocation for Effective Disaster Management in Bangladesh
In Bangladesh, Practical Action organized a workshop with key national stakeholders earlier and recently developed the policy brief on Increasing Local Government Budget Allocation for Effective Disaster Management in Bangladesh. The aim of this policy brief is to bring the attention of national authorities to promote local-level actions for resilience buildings.
Investing in community flood preparedness capacity and risk reduction saves lives
On 17 and 18th September 2022, the southwestern part of Nepal witnessed monsoonal floods and inundation. The rainfall station in Rajapur recorded rainfall of 239.6 mm in 12 hrs while Karnali Chisapani (280 Station) recorded rise of 10.68 m. Within in ZFRA’s 25 working communities, the Initial Rapid Assessment (IRA) of the three municipalities show about 407 households have been inundated. Practical Action, through Zurich Flood Resilience Alliance has worked with these 25 communities to build their resilience to flood impacts.Over the past year, these communities have prioritised infrastructures such as safe shelters, evacuation routes and raised water pumps among others. Apart from this, Practical Action works with the local communities through Community Disaster Management Committees (CDMCs) and local governments to conduct flood mock exercises, every year on 5th June. These mock flood exercises give the community members an opportunity to practice and simulate flood mock drills. The task force members within each CDMCs also practice their roles such as early warning messaging and communication, safe and prioritized evacuation, first aid service to injured as well as search and rescue drills. During this September flooding event, these community-based task groups and CDMCs were able to function and deliver swift evacuation with confidence. The early warning task force members were able to give timely flood warning to communities. In Baidi community, 65 HH stayed in safe shelter for three days. Similarly, in Bangaun community, 32 HH stayed in safe shelter for 2 days. Due to timely early warning messaging and communication; most of them were able to evacuate their livestock from their household to safer places.
Community Based Mangrove Restoration
BEDS performs Community Based Ecological Mangrove Restoration (CBEMR) in the Sundarbans region of Bangladesh for biodiversity protection and social benefits. Following this, BEDS arranged a community-level discussion event on the importance of mangrove restoration for coastal areas under Climate Resilience Project where the members of local government, socialites, and teachers participated. After that, everyone took part in mangrove plantation activity at the river bank of Gabura, Satkhira, Bangladesh to cover around 3.6 ha of land.
Practical Action in Nepal on floods
The southwestern part of Nepal witnessed severe monsoonal floods and inundation on 17th and 18th September 2022. Practical Action in Nepal invests in community-based flood early warning systems and community preparedness capacities provided critical lead time and helped them prepare for floods and evacuate in a timely manner. Investments in critical infrastructures like- safe shelters safer evacuation routes and raised water pumps- provided a respite during the flood event. The photo shows community members in Bangaun in western Nepal, staying in safe shelters during the flood event.
Workshop on Framing Just Transition in India: Context, Opportunities and Challenges
The need for just transition is being realised globally as the countries make the climate crisis-induced transition away from fossils towards renewables. As the transition unfolds, the challenge for the countries is to adapt this concept according to their national context and incorporate it into actual policy making. The acceptance and legitimacy for the new changes must come from the people and communities directly or indirectly dependent on the current fossil-fuel sector since this workforce will be most acutely affected by the transition.
Read more here.
CANSA participates in Executive roundtable at Climate Week NYC
Sanjay Vashist, Director of CANSA participated in Executive roundtable, Leading with Purpose: Driving Meaningful Corporate Engagement on Global Climate Justice, on 20th September, as part of Climate Week NYC’s Executive Series. The event was hosted jointly by Climate Group and Nike. This was part of the Executive Series: Connect, collaborate and create shared solutions for the Climate Series.
CINI Climate Resilience Workshop
The CLIMATE RESILIENCE WORKSHOP was held in Ahmedabad on 22-23rd August to build the capacity of practitioners in Odisha, Gujarat, Jharkhand and Maharashtra implementing Kisan Lakhpati Yojna. CANSA was invited to impart training on applying climate lens to livelihood practices in these States.
Workshop on Global Negotiations and National Policies of Climate Change by CPRD
A three-day capacity building and strategy workshop titled ‘Voicing CSOs Position towards COP-27 and beyond’ was jointly organized by ActionAid Bangladesh, BRAC, Christian Commission for Development in Bangladesh -CCDB, Center for Participatory Research and Development (CPRD), COAST Foundation, Development Organisation of the Rural Poor-DORP, Wateraid Bangladesh, from 17-19 August 2022 at BRAC CDM, Savar, Bangladesh. Around 30 representatives from 22 national and international designated NGOs, CSOs, government departments and academicians participated in the workshop. Covering more than a dozen of sessions, the workshop set its goal to build capacity of the national stakeholders on the national planning processes aligned to the global requirements to comprehensively address the causes and consequences of climate change.
