By Mike Rwothomio
Youths in west Nile Sub-region, have been urged to engage in meaningful climate change and climate justice participation, to reverse the current trend of global climate change.
The appeal was made by Derick Pikisa, the executive director of COLEIN AID, the Zombo district based non governmental organization , championing the project dubbed ” meaningful youth participation in climate related decision making process” across west Nile Sub-region.
” The youths should really welcome this initiative. The project tends to engage and involve the young people, so that they know what climate change is all about and how does it affect today and tomorrow ” Pikisa said in an interview with this Publication last week
The two year project is implemented by Youth climate council, Green African Youth organization and COLLEIN AID as hosting organization for northern Uganda.
According to UNDP, Climate justice means maximized inclusion, meaningful participation and equality. It means the most affected and vulnerable individuals and communities are treated as stakeholders and rights holders and are allowed to participate without discrimination, in the decision-making and implementation of the climate governance and policies.
This initiative is coming against the backdrop that ,young people besides being victims of climate injustice, are also the hope towards a better tomorrow..
The project was piloted in four schools that includes St Aloysius College Nyapea and Warr Girls in Zombo, Muni university and other two secondary schools in Arua.
Under the initiative, the youths shall be trained and participate in decision makings that can gradually promote environmentally friendly practices like planting of more trees species amongst other interventions.
Due to the climate change , the world has seen increased women’s vulnerability due to gender norms and poverty, reducing their chances of survival.
Brenda Ayiorwoth, the organization administrator and the Women representative at Youth Climate council, called on Women to join the climate change campaign, adding that they are the most vulnerable group.
” We are the ones suffering the most the due to climate change, we are the one cooking, we are the one taking care of the men and in that, we are the one using each and everything like we are the one cooking and cutting down the trees, we are involved in a lot really. We as Women, should also do something” Ayiorwoth explained further encouraging the fellow women to plant more trees to directly address the impact of climate change.
Since climate change especially affects children, young people and women disproportionately decreasing the chances for them to survive.The organization deemed it fit, to engage and consult with students from some selected schools across the region.
Pikisa revealed in an interview that they have already completed similar engagement with ” youths in civil society and stakeholders across the West Nile region”
Saviour Uyirwoth, a student of St Aloysius College Nyapea was impressed with the engagement, and appealed that ” more efforts be channeled toward sensitization and trees planting”
Canwat Saviour Nelly, the Agric Officer and a teacher at St. Aloysius Nyapea College, commended the intervention and urged partners to encourage planting fast growing varieties of trees, including fruit trees.
If goes unabated , Heat waves, wildfires, floods and drought, will become increasingly frequent thus impacting on health, exposing people to burns and injuries, dangerous levels of air pollution, contaminated water, infectious disease’s and as well as mental-health conditions, amongst others.
Many environmental experts opines that , a well-designed adaptation policies should be activated to reduce climate-related impact in all spheres of life.
Colein Aid is the current Northern Uganda Hosting Organisation for Youth Climate Council, implementing meaningful Youth Engagement in Climate-related decision-making process in Uganda.
