Extreme Floods, the
Key to Climate Change Adaptation in Africa’s Drylands Isaiah Esipisu
Extreme rainfall and heavy flooding, often amplified by climate change,
causes devastation among communities. But new research published on Aug. 7
in the scientific journal Nature reveals that these dangerous events are
extremely significant in recharging groundwater aquifers in drylands across
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Land Degradation
Jeopardizes Ability to Feed the World Ibrahim
Thiaw
We have known for over 25 years that poor land use and management are
major drivers of climate change, but have never mustered the political
will to act. With the release of the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC) special report on climate change and land, which makes the
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Burning Forests
for Rain, and Other Climate Catastrophes Miriam
Gathigah
The villagers living on the foothills of Mount Kenya have a belief: If
they burn the forest, the rains will come. “Generally, we believe that
the sky is covered by a thick layer of ice and only a forest fire can
rise high enough to melt this ice and give us rainfall,” Njoroge Mungai,
a resident ... MORE >
>
Overview: Climate change poses threats to environments, communities, and economies, yet no single “one-size-fits-all” solution can be implemented across different countries and contexts. The Cornell Climate Online Fellows will work together over a period of 14 weeks to identify, discuss, implement, and assess greenhouse gas mitigation actions they take locally and within their social networks.
Participants: Environmental and education professionals, volunteers, and university students from any country. Discussions will be in English. Students lacking a basic knowledge of climate science will need to complete parts of online course, Climate Science, Communication, and Action, prior to the fellowship.
Cost & Commitment: Free. This is a serious commitment,from 4 -10 hours of work per week. All fellows will be expected to actively participate in weekly Zoom conference calls Tuesdays from 8-10am New York time, to engage in weekly online discussions, and to implement a climate mitigation action in their networks.
Educational approach: Fellows will access existing online resources (asynchronous), post discussion question responses (asynchronous), participate in weekly small group and full fellowship discussions (synchronous, Tuesdays 8-10am, EST), and conduct individual action projects (asynchronous).
Technology: Zoom for weekly discussions and Edge-edX for readings and discussion questions. We will also use Facebook and WhatsApp for optional informal discussions and sharing.
Activities: Fellows will become familiar with Drawdown’s prioritized list of 100 actions to reduce reduce greenhouse gases and identify two actions to investigate further using online sources and local experts. (Example actions include educating girls, reducing food waste, plant-rich diet, wind energy, and silvopasture.) During weekly Tuesday meetings, fellows and Cornell faculty will discuss the potential for implementation of climate solutions in the different countries they represent. Fellows will then implement one Drawdown action with their social network (e.g., office, school, Instagram group), and evaluate the implementation process and outcomes. Each fellow will complete a final report or presentation that includes a description of their action and its outcomes, and their reflections on the process. Fellows will also be part of a research project assessing the fellowship process and its outcomes.
Application & Selection Process: Applicants complete an online application about their environmental and education work or volunteer activities, motivation for participating in the fellowship, ideas about climate action projects, and ability to commit the time to be an active participant in the fellowship over the 14-week period. Civic Ecology Lab staff will select the final fellows based on their applications and on our commitment to creating a group of fellows who bring diverse ideas and experiences and represent a wide group of countries.
Benefits: Participants who complete the fellowship will be awarded a Cornell University certificate. However, the main benefit of the fellowship is the opportunity to work with a diverse group of climate-concerned citizens globally who will provide support and provide feedback on your local climate actions.
Fellow outcomes. Fellows will:
Describe the feasibility and effectiveness of actions to mitigate greenhouse gases across different countries and contexts.
Implement and evaluate an action to reduce greenhouse gases among their social networks.
Make adjustments in their action plans based on new information, including research, feedback from fellows, and outcomes of the action.
Demonstrate critical thinking skills related to gathering and assessing sources of information and adapting their views and actions based on new information.
Participate actively in an ongoing global online community of climate-concerned citizens.
Fellowship Leaders: Marianne Krasny, Anne Armstrong, Alex Kudryavtsev, Yue Li, Kim Snyder (Cornell University Civic Ecology Lab)
Haiti’s Civil Protection Directorate (DPC) and partners are preparing for the hurricane season
Preparedness for the hurricane season, which began on 1 June and will continue until 30 November, is currently a top priority for OCHA, its humanitarian partners and development organizations in Haiti, all who are working closely with Haiti’s Civil Protection Directorate (DPC).
While the DPC has well established structures and communication procedures in place on national, departmental and local levels, including an early warning system, it still faces operational challenges. For example, the Emergency Operation Centers in the departments (COUD – Centres d’Opérations d’Urgence Départementaux) generally lack resources such as sufficient fuel, water supplies, telecommunication/internet and human resources. There is also a need at the governmental level for strengthened capacities in response coordination, needs assessments and information management/data analysis.
Following several field missions to look at COUDs in the Nord, Nord-Ouest, Nord-Est, Sud and Nippes departments, OCHA and the DPC has engaged with the private sector to establish partnerships in order to improve operational capacities. For example, discussions with two mobile providers are ongoing to provide COUDs with free internet and key DPC staff with free mobile credits in case of emergency.
In order to improve coordination between humanitarian and military actors following large scale natural disasters, OCHA Geneva (CMCS) recently conducted a Civil-Military Coordination (CMCoord) mission to Haiti in order to sensitize key actors on CMCoord and kick off the revision of country-specific CMCoord guidelines.
Other joint preparedness activities currently underway include pre-positioning and mapping of relief stocks, emergency shelter rehabilitation, sensitization of at-risk populations and conducting of simulation exercises and capacity building efforts for key stakeholders including the Departmental Coordinators of the DPC (CTD – Coordonateur Techique Départemental).
A dedicated working group is actively working on mainstreaming Protection and Protection against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) in all preparedness activities, in part through inclusion of modules on these topics in all trainings, and by ensuring better coordination in the areas of sensitization/prevention, complaints mechanisms and victim’s assistance.
Interviewing
Skills: Career Advancement Techniques
Professional
Development
Moving forward in your career means mastering the
interview process. In this new video, engaging career expert Jeff Havens
will help you enhance the skills you need before, during, and after an
interview with easy-to-follow tips. Whether you are new to the
humanitarian and development sector or a seasoned professional, this
video will help you begin your next job search with confidence.
