An Activist’s Lens on What’s Missing in Climate Change Education
The southern part of Bangladesh continuously battles with climate crises as its geographical position makes its climate vulnerable in many aspects. Being in the coastal area, the people from the southern part often struggle with cyclones, salinity of water, and river erosion. Bindu’s focus on climate justice came from their socio-personal experience of their native land. Formal activities of Bindu regarding disaster risk reduction started around the year 2016, but their voice started rising for the climate crisis when they were still in higher secondary school. Their work on the community level has significantly influenced the youth in their area and inspired the youth to form their own community-based groups to fight against climate change on a smaller scale.
Jannatul Mawa, executive director and co-founder of Bindu, has argued that the youth has always been eager to learn about climate change. Despite the lack of knowledge sources regarding the climate crisis, they aspire to strengthen their climate knowledge and build a climate-resilient community. Mawa mentioned the textbooks need to address area-specific climate knowledge and an overview of the climate crisis prevalence of their homeland. The knowledge textbooks and media cultivates only provide a partial idea, and it is far from the real-life struggle of the affected communities. This struggle is even more for the groups that are even in more fragile positions among the marginalized communities. Low income generating sources, caste discrimination, and cornering for their social strata add to these groups' pre-existing struggle per the climate crisis. She further stressed that local people-led solutions are much needed in this context as the textbook curriculum is yet to prepare students for climate-specific knowledge that is beneficial for their community and the country on a more extensive scale. To address this skill gap, Mawa suggests that creating a climate cluster containing different conditions and adaptations of other parts of Bangladesh, including the historical aspects of adaptation, would work in favor of the community. The workshop and training programs NGOs run should be more activity-based, participatory, and learning through fun. She gives an example from an Action-aid organized event- in which Bindu participated- on “understanding river by a journey by boat,” which, she believes, was more engaging to community people and more participatory for the professionals. Janattaul Mawa further added that people in every sector should search for strategies on how to deal with this significant threat and move towards a green economy. She felt the lack of and the necessity to add reflexive/ creative exercise in the curriculum so the learners can be more creative in approaching climate change.
Emphasizing climate awareness knowledge, she says:
“When we do the national level negotiation, it appears upsetting to see the lack of climate- and environment-related knowledge among people. Lack of climate and environment-related knowledge results in a less skilled adoption of climate issues and refrains people from using/managing the available natural resources for a better economy. Without initiatives from National Curricula and Textbook Board and the government themselves in terms of content-specific knowledge of climate change and its possible solutions, the development sector alone can't make people aware of and skilled in climate change.”
Focusing on training programs for NGO professionals, Janntual Mawa said that even NGO professionals sometimes need clarification with climate, environment, and disaster-related knowledge.
“In a training program, an Apa working as a field officer asked the practitioner present there, environment and development sector about mitigation- and I saw that they are confused in climate mitigation and disaster mitigation. In addition to this, we are also confusing resilience with adaptation. So, we have knowledge gaps that should be developed, and we need to be “resource persons” in our profession. Prior to starting working on any project or program, we need at least one training or a practical learning season.“
Mawa believes the communities which BINDU works with need more understanding of renewable energy, be able to equip themselves with skills to attain “alternative” livelihoods, and manage available resources in their localities to enhance their utilization in an eco-friendly way. In the context of Satkhira, she found the necessity of adaptive skills for both youth and professionals to keep agriculture “free from emissions'' and “free from carbon".
“Both youth and professionals working in regional levels need to know what a green economy is, how green can be incorporated in agriculture, and what we require to make a “green environment.” Youth needs training on research and fundraising, as for lack of knowledge on presenting “evidence” and on fundraising, we can’t even ask local governments for needs and support.”
Emphasizing new technology and skills in climate adaptive agriculture, such as salinity tolerant seeds, Jannatul Mawa said that both students and professionals need to learn about them for better climate adaptive agriculture.
“People need to know about “agroecology” to know the skills and technologies about salinity tolerant seeds for minimizing the impacts of climate change in livelihood and economy.”
According to her, the knowledge of climate disasters will not be fruitful unless the understanding of and the encounters towards climate change are updated for both students and professionals with current trends and behavior of climate disasters:
“The knowledge we have about climate change comes from a past context, dating back to 20-30 years when climate disasters didn't happen much, unlike today. That’s why we need to know and be trained about new research, new technologies, new livelihoods, and possible scopes of climate change in a changing time."
She also finds marketing knowledge and marketing skills significant to be developed for professionals for moving towards a green future:
“Only skills and production can’t help move towards a green economy if we don’t learn about the market trends and marketing. BINDU makes an eco-friendly plate made of “Shupari'' that can’t catch the market due to its lack of knowledge in marketing. We are about to lose a way to earn. That’s why it is crucial to learn about marketing and market trends along with knowledge and skills on climate change and climate adaptive jobs."
About the organisation:
BINDU is a youth feminist organization focused on human rights, women's empowerment, and equality. They advocate for gender-responsive public services, localizing SDGs, quality education, climate justice, and creating safe environments, especially in coastal regions.