NGOs rally to address climate change

Quicker action

Accelerated action to adapt to climate change is not only needed on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, but also around the world, according to the latest report from the IPCC, the UN body.

Despite the progress made, there are gaps between the current levels of adaptation and those needed to respond to such an impact and reduce climate risks, the report said.

In China, although some top-level designs have been put forward for climate adaptation, the nation still lacks measures at grassroots level, according to a foundation in the highly developed Pearl River Delta.

Research by the Harmony Community Foundation found that most climate mitigation and adaptation policies in the delta are introduced at national and provincial level, said He Xin, director of the environment program at the organization, which is based in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province.

"This results in a problem of communities knowing little about adapting to climate change," she said.

In view of this situation, the foundation launched an initiative in 2018 to subsidize NGOs conducting climate adaptation programs in communities. However, after failing to find qualified NGOs, it decided to launch the initiative itself last year.

The initiative is designed for the foundation to foster "climate pioneers" through a campaign aimed at growing plants, which integrates climate education. These pioneers will be tasked with finding problems caused by climate change in their communities, and will be subsidized to introduce adaptation measures.

"The pioneers we are looking for are those with an awareness of climate change and the ability to explain this issue," He said, adding that they should also have the ability to organize public participation.

However, He said the foundation has failed to make the progress that was expected.