Say it's Possible

Blog Post Posted December 14, 2009, 8:32 pm by Dory McIntosh

Seminal moments in Copenhagen

Topics: Climate Change

COP15 (UN Climate Change Conference) has had its peaks and troughs. The troughs have related to both the process and the logistics — the temporary withdrawal of the support of African nations sent almost palpable frissons of panic around the negotiating room. For a while, it seemed that there really could be a possibility that we would all go home with no agreement in place. Luckily, all were back at the negotiating table a few hours later, but it felt like a close call.

Al Gore speaks at a COP 15 side event entitled "Greenland Ice Sheet - Melting Snow and Ice: Calls for Action." Photo: WIDJA (flickr)

The logistical troughs were more immediate, but nonetheless uncomfortable. The atrocious administrative failures left many out in the cold today — literally. Hundreds waited up to ten hours in freezing temperatures, like cattle behind the barriers, to gain access to the Bella Centre. Many had to leave without ever gaining access — despite having prior registration for the event.

However, for those who made it through the barriers, there were some real highlights with Al Gore’s presentation being one of those — despite the desperate message that he and his fellow panellists were portraying. Both Al Gore and the scientists who preceded him stressed that the effects of glacier and ice melt are going to far exceed the earlier UNFCCC predictions. Not only are the Greenland ice cap and Western Antarctica melting far faster than was previously thought, but the Himalayan glaciers are melting at a rate that is placing the lives of more than a billon people in jeopardy. Sea level rises of around one metre are predicted by the end of the century, which would displace an estimated 100 million people from their homes and livelihoods. To put this in context, we were told that the negotiators were working within the parameters of a 4 degree rise in temperature by the end of the century.

For most countries this is a disastrous scenario, but for developing countries it is the stuff of nightmares. It is a nightmare that has millions of people fleeing their homes — either because of conflict or because of diminishing resources.

For Mercy Corps these are urgent times, but our response has to be measured and appropriate. The very urgency of the situation makes it all the more important that funding and other resources are allocated where they can have the highest impact and most immediate effect.

Blog Post Posted December 14, 2009, 5:46 am by Jim Jarvie

Climate change adaptation — making sense of the data maze

Topics: Climate Change

The Climate One Stop homepage.

On December 14 at 9 A.M. here at the Climate Change Conference here in Copenhagen, Mercy Corps was part of a presentation hosted by USAID, as part of the U.S. delegation tent. Our presentation was part of the launch of Climate One Stop, a website acting as a one-stop shop for climate facts and figures.

The website brings together heavy duty data providers like NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), data consolidators like the United Nations Development Programme and World Resources Institute, and data users like Mercy Corps and our sister agencies. You can read the NASA press release here 
and visit our startup site at http://climateonestop.net. Its basic task is to help us filter out and select quality, applicable data and information from the blossoming number of climate-related news feeds, then use that information to help the communities where we work.

Why has Mercy Corps been placing an emphasis on this? The starting point is our mission: helping people build secure, productive and just communities. A dilemma is that doing this successfully means taking a long-term view, which increasingly requires taking climate change adaption into account. But, in transitional countries where short-term needs are paramount, making the case for thinking ahead is tricky. It needs compelling data and argument, and this is where Climate One Stop comes into play.

Let me give some examples from where we have boots on the ground.

Take Afghanistan where we naturally think of the ongoing conflict, violence and need for stabilization. Obviously these challenges require the focused attention and resources currently being applied. But what happens when short-term objectives are met? A recent report to DFID, the United Kingdom's development agency, recently said "At present, climate change is not a consideration into the national or sectoral plans of the Government of Afghanistan, despite it presenting a significant threat to cross sectoral development."

But Afghanistan is literally running dry. That impacts agriculture and will therefore reduce food security. Unless we take that into account during short-term stabilization measures, how long will the benefits of any short-term gain last? We need reliable data to share with communities and governments to help them address long-term environmental and climate threats needing urgent consideration to bolster successes in security. We need reliable data to show stakeholders and partners like the Government of Afghanistan what is happening, and what needs to be done.

Mercy Corps and colleague organisations need solid, reliable data to share with communities and governments to help them address long-term environmental and climate threats.

In Indonesia, Mercy Corps has been active in helping urban poverty reduction. More than 50 percent of the world's population are in cities that concentrate squalor and suffering. Yet, as we help people move forward in megacities like Jakarta, the communities we work with are increasingly hit by floods from increasing numbers of storms with strengthening intensity, and now face rising sea levels. We need reliable data to best predict how strongly climate change will worsen current hazards and set about planning responses with communities and government. As in Afghanistan, we need to merge short-term response with informed, long-term programming and protection of the legacy of our projects.

Finally, consider the disasters we respond to like the tsunami in Indonesia's Aceh Province and Sri Lanka, and the more recent earthquake that hit the western part of Indonesia's Sumatra Island. These areas suffered the unimaginable consequences of natural, rapid-onset catastrophe. Yet, as they are coastally located, they are certain to also suffer the impact of human-based, slow-onset disasters from climate impact, including rising sea levels and storms.

When we respond to immediate disaster, we hope to put in place disaster risk reduction strategies to protect people from future, similar events. Now we realize we need to incorporate the threat from the gathering tide of climate risks.

Areas as diverse as conflict states, peaceful urban centers and disaster sites all need to start thinking about climate adaptation to secure long-term stability. Yet to do that, solid data from multiple sources needs to be considered and applied. The work at Climate One Stop gives us a head start. This is why Mercy Corps supports it. We hope that you will too.

Blog Post Posted December 11, 2009, 3:09 pm by Jim Jarvie

People — and worlds — converge in Copenhagen

Topics: Climate Change

Photo: Haja Nirina (flickr)

The UN Climate Change Conference has started in Copenhagen, and it is overwhelming. Bella Centre, an efficient and vast venue, is chockablock with the 15,000 people it can hold — amid rumours that more than 40,000 people have registered. Security is smooth and polite. Among the cavernous halls and corridors, myriad Internet spots and meeting rooms, the hosting is friendly, unflustered and chirpy; most first timers to Denmark are thinking of returning one day for a holiday to really see the place properly.

The flow of humanity, from almost every nation on Earth — women and men from seemingly every ethnicity, religion, age group on the planet — flow past each other from event to meeting to rest stop at a frenetic pace. It brings home the message that, whatever the outcome of whatever form of agreement emerges from this conference, climate change as a threat unites us as no other in history.

This is a historic event.

Two parallel universes seem to exist here. The negotiators, between the forums and country booths to which they retire to regroup and head out again, exist in the same space but barely the same context as the plethora of side events that run across the Bella Centre and other nearby venue spots in Copenhagen. The world outside of the conference centre has a better overview of the deals and promises, raised hopes and disappointments than those in the side events.

The side events arise from non-governmental organisations (NGOs), campaigners, practitioners and others from civil society involved in the climate debate, as well as the actions already being taken to counter its impacts across the world.

Mercy Corps was directly involved in one of these today. Pramita Harjati, an urban planner from our Indonesia programme, presented her work with ACCCRN (the Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network). ACCCRN — funded by the Rockefeller Foundation — joins us with sister programmes in India, Thailand and Vietnam. Together, they share experiences in analyzing how the challenges that the urban poor already face will be exacerbated by climate change. They discuss how they work with government and the private sector to find solutions.

Pramita talked about how increased storm frequency and intensity have immediate impacts on human life and — in the longer term — their livelihoods as houses are damaged and shrimp and fish farms are destroyed. Other members of the network and the wider audience then heard complementary reports from India about how in Surat, the diamond and textile industries can close for extended periods because workers lose their homes and belongings to flooding. And then we heard similar tales from Vietnam.

It was a microcosm of what these side events are about. Numerous small conferences sharing reports of climate impacts and possible solutions across sectors including government, the private sector and agencies like Mercy Corps.

Together, these events represent the collective knowledge of millions of people, and give voice for advocacy for the negotiators to come to a deal that sets the world on a direction to take on the climate challenge we have created for ourselves. These parallel universes may merge yet.

Blog Post Posted December 9, 2009, 4:18 pm by Chelsea Wieber

Video: Terra Naomi sings to support Mercy Corps' climate change programmes

Terra Naomi was interviewed by CNN-IBN about her climate change concert in Kashmir. Watch the video to see a clip of Terra singing "Say it's Possible" in the snow!

Blog Post Posted December 6, 2009, 10:16 am by Usmaan Ahmad

Gearing up for the climate change concert

Country: India
Topics: Climate Change

Photo: Mercy Corps

Hi everybody! While the upcoming Mercy Corps "Say It's Possible" Climate Change Concert with Terra Naomi is no ordinary concert, no concert would be complete without its posters and radio ads.

Ahead of the concert, I thought I'd share the poster (at right) and radio spot that Terra recorded with Big 92.7 FM which is the radio partner in Kashmir for this event. The radio spot is part of Mercy Corps' effort to raise local awareness about climate change through this event. The hope is that this event will educate the Kashmiri public which can be a basis of practical efforts. On December 7, Big 92.7 FM will be broadcasting Terra's concert throughout the Kashmir Valley and it will be playing the new Kashmiri-English version "Say It's Possible" as soon as Terra, Waheed Jeelani and other Kashmiri artists record it in a studio in Srinagar.

We'll have a lot more news, photos and video soon!

Blog Post Posted December 4, 2009, 11:25 am by Usmaan Ahmad

Video: New documentary on the impact of climate change in the Kashmir Valley

Good morning!

The preparations are in full swing for Terra’s visit and the Mercy Corps “Say It’s Possible” Climate Change Concert that will take place here in Kashmir on Dec. 7. So many have stepped forward and volunteered their talent and time with the hope that this effort will help educate the public across the globe and somehow motivate people and their governments to commit themselves to taking Climate Change seriously at Copenhagen and beyond.

In particular, the local artist community in Kashmir is playing a leading role in supporting this awareness-raising event by developing a Kashmiri-English version of Terra’s inspiring song “Say It’s Possible,” and composing a traditional Kashmiri musical orchestra to back up Terra and the Kashmiri singers who will be performing with her.

In addition to Terra’s musical performance, the event will feature the premiere of a new documentary film that takes a close look at some of the observable impacts of climate change that are taking place in the Kashmir Valley. The film is titled Global Warming — A Catastrophe in the Making, and has been made by Shafqat Habib and Shahid Rasool of the Educational Multi-Media Research Centre (EMMRC) at the University of Kashmir.

With stunning views of the Himalayan vistas in Kashmir, this documentary features some leading scientists, including Dr. Shakil Romshoo, a glaciologist at the University of Kashmir who has been conducting research on glacial retreat in the Himalaya as a result of global warming. The film looks closely at how climate change is already affecting the livelihoods of some of the most vulnerable sections of the Kashmiri community and explores what the future holds for this region if the world is not able to muster the political will needed to reverse the current trends.

While the audience in Kashmir will get to see the premiere of this film on the big screen at the Climate Change Concert on December 7, Mercy Corps is pleased to host the online premiere of this film right here, right now.

This online premiere is made possible by the dedicated filmmakers, Shafqat Habib and Shahid Rasool, and through official collaboration of EMMRC (University of Kashmir) in Mercy Corps’ “Say It’s Possible” Climate Change Concert with Terra Naomi in Kashmir.

Also, if you haven’t already watched it on YouTube, click here to watch the trailer for another documentary by a U.S. flimmaker called, Kashmir: On Thin Ice, coming out next year. This film highlights a growing concern that climate change might increase tensions in South Asia as Kashmir’s water resources become scarce.

I’ll be sharing a whole lot more info soon — next time focusing on the good news, i.e. what can be done at the local and global level to avert the climate-induced human catastrophes that are now in the making across our fragile planet.

Blog Post Posted December 2, 2009, 4:32 pm by Terra Naomi

Join me in asking President Obama to support emissions reductions

The Taj Mahal in Agra, India. Photo: jackluke (flickr)

Good morning!

I am currently in Agra, waking up on a very misty morning...

Visited the Taj Mahal yesterday and it is beautiful beyond any description.

Had an interview with a reporter from Srinagar who told me that I am the first Western artist to perform there...seems hard to believe...couldn't possibly be true, but I am so honored to be able to play in Srinagar and to lend my voice to the incredibly important issue of climate change. And if I am one of the first Western artists to perform in the region, then I hope to inspire other artists to make this journey in the future.

Just googled "Copenhagen" because I wanted to check up on the latest news... The city must be getting ready for the Climate Change Conference. Happy to see that one of the most searched phrases involving Copenhagen this morning is "Copenhagen Climate." People are obviously taking an interest as the countdown begins. I can't wait to hear news from the conference. And when the leaders of the world are meeting, we will have our concert in Kashmir.

The Mercy Corps Action Centre is great because they make it SO EASY to get involved - from small things that take only a minute, to larger commitments, like playing a concert in Kashmir! ;) The best thing about Mercy Corps' Action Centre is that the stuff they organise actually HAPPENS and helps real people in real ways. It's awesome to see.

If you would like to send a message to President Obama, asking him to support greenhouse gas emissions reductions, clean energy policies and a comprehensive aid package to help the people in the world's most devastated areas who will suffer the most as climate change continues, please go HERE.

It takes less than a minute.

Ok - time to get up and take a walk outside. Heading back to Delhi today. Performances at The Foreign Correspondents Club and the Hard Rock Cafe, as well as a live performance at the Press Corps and a radio station that plays only female artists! Cool!! Rehearsing with some Indian musicians tonight to create a very special surprise for the Hard Rock show! Also can't wait to meet the Kashmiri choir with whom I will be performing at the concert in Kashmir. Met with the leader of the choir, Wahid, and he was lovely with a stunningly beautiful voice. Can't wait to sing with him!!

More soon...and please take a moment to sign the online petition! These things do actually send a strong message, especially when tons of people participate!

:)
xoxox
Terra

Blog Post Posted November 24, 2009, 2:28 pm by Usmaan Ahmad

Climate change presents huge challenges in Kashmir

Greetings from Kashmir!

We are really excited about Mercy Corps' “Say It’s Possible” Climate Change Concert here in Srinagar, Kashmir on December 7, 2009. The headliner is YouTube sensation Terra Naomi, and we couldn't be happier to have her perform here.

When we first approached Terra with the idea of doing this awareness-raising event on climate change in Srinagar as part of her 2009 India Tour, Terra immediately signed up for the cause. So I want to start by thanking Terra for being so committed to this important issue.

The timing of Terra’s concert couldn’t be more appropriate. World leaders will be meeting in Copenhagen to discuss climate change from December 7 to December 18.

We are already seeing the effects climate change across the globe. It’s a big challenge — an environmentally, economically and socially stable future for the planet is at stake. The world has a diminishing window in which to tackle this challenge and it’s going to require international cooperation on an unprecedented scale to achieve that goal. The current agreement, the Kyoto Protocol, expires in 2012. Many believe that Copenhagen is the best chance at securing a global deal, one that is ambitious enough with its commitments to avert catastrophic climate change.

Given all the competing interests involved, is such a global agreement on climate change possible?

That’s the big question on everybody’s mind, and many people are pessimistic about what will be achieved. So on December 7, we’re hoping Terra’s concert in Kashmir will, in a small way, send a more optimistic message to all the representatives meeting in Copenhagen — that it's possible for the world to come together and tackle this problem in a meaningful way.

In other words — to quote Terra herself — “Say it’s Possible!”

A view of the mountains in Kashmir. Photo: Usmaan Ahmad

The location of Terra’s concert, the Kashmir Valley, also couldn’t be more relevant. The Himalaya and its glaciers are one of the places immediately threatened by the impacts of climate change. The populations living in the Himalaya are the least responsible for creating this problem, but they are already beginning to bear the brunt of its impacts.

While many people living in the developed world are still wondering what climate change might mean for them in the future, Kashmiris are already dealing with this challenge. Climate change threatens to cause glacial melt across the globe and many of the small glaciers in Kashmir are already on the verge of disappearing altogether. These glaciers are a life-support system for all the people who live downstream. Climate change is also causing the weather patterns to change, which is threatening farmers’ crops. This presents huge challenge here in Kashmir, since the majority of the population depends on agriculture to survive.

People in developing societies, like communities in Kashmir, are going to need help overcoming all of these challenges. That’s what Mercy Corps is hoping to do through our climate change programmes. And making a donation is a great way to help Mercy Corps extend a helping hand to those already affected by climate change.

Before the concert, Terra will be visiting the glaciers and meeting with members of the community here in Kashmir. We’re hoping that Terra’s visit and concert in Kashmir can help shine a spotlight on the challenges that climate change poses for developing societies — as well as why it's important for the developed countries to take responsibility in Copenhagen for dedicating resources to help.

To learn more about the upcoming meeting in Copenhagen check out the official website for the conference. We'll also be posting updates from Mercy Corps own climate change expert, Jim Jarvie, who will be attending the talks in Copenhagen.

I’ll be posting a lot more about the effects of climate change in Kashmir, photos and video of Terra’s visit, and suggestions for how to help.

- Usmaan

Blog Post Posted November 24, 2009, 2:14 am by Jim Jarvie

Copenhagen and beyond — your planet needs YOU!

Topics: Climate Change

In the days before the United Nations Climate Change Conference — which will begin in Copenhagen, Denmark on December 7 — there are deflated feelings of anticipation. It is becoming increasingly apparent that a global climate deal is not going to emerge at the tail end of the worldwide get-together. There is hope that examples will be set, and that newly minted unilateral declarations and bilateral accords might together accelerate the path toward a truly global agreement.

Well, maybe next year.

The headlines over the last week have therefore turned to the policy dramas behind the scenes.

Will President Obama's attendance make a difference? Will 60 other presidents and prime ministers from the 192 countries attending be enough to maintain global momentum on climate change policy into the future? Will the U.S. proposal to cut emissions by up to 20 percent be enough to make a difference and inspire others to change?

Science has also shared its drama and scandal. A recent report says unless we change course on current emissions behaviour, the world temperature will raise by six degrees centigrade — a terrific plot for a blockbuster disaster movie.

Then, a leaked bunch of emails from a small group of now-dubious climate scientists raised a ruckus for allegedly stifling reports skeptical of climate change. To skeptics, this is the "smoking gun" that there is a global conspiracy to fabricate the evidence pointing to global warming.

Photo of the Athabasca Glacier in Alberta, Canada. Photo: Maggie T (flickr)

The truth, however, is that this is a case of limited academic dishonesty, and that current conclusions of the vast majority of dependable scientists, research institutions, governments and more hold that climate change is as real as gravity.

So where does that leave us as Copenhagen approaches?

Quite possibly we will have a situation where a lack of a deal in Copenhagen signals a lack of urgency, and the debate retreats to questions over the veracity of climate change, not how we slow it down and deal with the impacts felt now and held in store for us in the future. With 43 percent of the U.S. population recently reported as not thinking that climate change is real, as well as 20 percent in the United Kingdom, the likelihood seems high.

What should we do? As dull as it sounds, we need to get onto our political representatives and ask them to take this seriously. They are working for you and, together, you leave the legacy for the world future generations are born into. There is a danger in the democratic world, where 24-hour news cycles and four to six year election cycles hold sway, that the impetus for the politicians, the only people with the power to mandate change, will dwindle. Hold them to their jobs representing your interests. Make it clear climate change matters for your vote, their mandates and terms in office.

Follow those organisations — like Mercy Corps and our partner agencies around the world — that are sending representatives to Copenhagen to keep pressure on the policy makers to address climate change and its impact on the worlds’ poorest and most vulnerable communities.

We will be there representing the work we do around the world in some of the planet’s most difficult places. We want to find more ways to utilize carbon funds to help the poor switch to cleaner and better energy, especially those who will not see an electricity pylon for decades to come. We want to help the many millions in massive coastal slums prepare for rising seas and more flooding on top of the miserable conditions they already face. We want to prepare countries facing food insecurity and the risk of famine in readiness for increasingly erratic weather and access to irrigation water affecting the harvests sustaining life and civilizations across the globe.

We'd like you to join us in saving not only our planet, but its people. Ask President Obama to protect the world's poorest from climate change.

Blog Post Posted November 23, 2009, 1:44 pm by Terra Naomi

'Say It's Possible'

Terra Naomi. Photo: Photo: Courtesy of Terra Naomi

I am so pleased to make the following announcement: I will perform at the Mercy Corps climate change concert on December 7, in Kashmir, as part of my upcoming tour of India, which includes performances in Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi and Srinagar.

When Mercy Corps approached me about performing my song, "Say It's Possible," as part of this event to raise awareness for climate change, I was honored and excited to take part in something so important.

This concert will coincide with the Copenhagen Climate Conference, and will hopefully draw some attention to one of the areas hit hardest by climate change.

As most of us already know, the areas most affected by climate change are the areas least responsible for the rapidly changing climate. They are parts of the world where people are already struggling, already living in difficult conditions, and these areas will continue to become increasingly challenging places to live as natural resources disappear. I was absolutely amazed to find out that the glaciers in Kashmir provide water to one-fifth of the world's population. That's a HUGE number.

In case you're looking for some facts, here you go:

• ActionAid reports that “the last 40 years have seen a reduction in water levels of almost all the streams and rivers in Kashmir by two-thirds.”
• An estimated "1.3 billion people across China, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Myanmar, Bhutan and Afghanistan rely on the waters flowing from the glaciers in the Himalayan region," reports the Earth Institute at Columbia University. That's about one-fifth of the world's population.
• Kashmir's glaciers are melting at an alarming rate — "endangering the livelihoods of two-thirds of the region’s nearly 10 million people engaged in agriculture, horticulture, livestock rearing and forestry," according to a study by Kashmir University’s geology and geophysics department.

It's frightening, and I'm really hoping that the Copenhagen conference will help motivate people to take this seriously and devote resources to finding a way to slow the damage we are doing to the environment.

And so I will lend my voice and take a trip into northern India, Kashmir, the source of so much of the world's water...
I leave for India in less than a week. I am excited and a little bit nervous. I know it will be an incredible journey, and I will learn so much, and grow as an artist and most importantly, a human. I want to be able to inspire other people and help the world in some small way. Music seems to be the most effective way for me to contribute and I feel so lucky to be able to do this.

I will post more in the coming days and look forward to meeting my new friends in India!!

xox
Terra
:)