Climate Change
Climate change tends to have the greatest impacts on the world’s most vulnerable populations, many of whom lack the resources to adapt to new climate realities. In recent years, People in Need (PIN) has included climate change in its educational and awareness programmes, and as part of its strategy in the development of new projects. Our goal is to effect change with lasting impacts, thus we strive to programme our activities in areas where we can make a real difference.
Climate Change Adaptation Projects
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People’s livelihoods in developing countries often depend on agriculture and the direct consumption of natural resources. The quality of life is thus directly influenced by the condition of the environment. Climate change influences traditional ways of living, and many people will need to adapt their livelihoods for the future. Improving ecological stability, increasing self-sufficiency and resistance to climate change are important parts of every PIN project.
Dzud in Mongolia
Climate change causes “dzud” in Mongolia, which results from a combination of dry summers and extremely cold and windy winters. Together with heavy snows, this phenomenon, in which livestock do not gain enough fat during the summer to last them through the harsh Mongolian winters, and herders do not collect enough hay, endangers the lives and prosperity of both the herders and their livestock. Dzud have become more frequent as pasture lands are progressively destroyed by excessive grazing. The PIN team in Mongolia has implemented a monitoring system that warns herders about oncoming dzud. Thanks to this system, herders can take action before these severe conditions arrive.
Cambodia
Mongolia
These measures can significantly reduce crop vulnerability to both weather events and new pests or diseases. We also react to extreme droughts, deforestation, degradation of soil, and the loss of diversity, which are connected to poor agricultural management practices of the past. All of the solutions we offer follow the principles of Climate-Smart Agriculture.
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Sustainable and Resilient Agriculture
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The livelihoods of many people from developing countries are connected to agriculture. Thus, PIN strives to introduce modern agricultural methods and crops that are more resistant to new climate and production conditions.
These measures can significantly reduce crop vulnerability to both weather events and new pests or diseases. We also react to extreme droughts, deforestation, degradation of soil, and the loss of diversity, which are connected to poor agricultural management practices of the past. All of the solutions we offer follow the principles of Climate-Smart Agriculture.
Angola
Fighting hunger Angola has been suffering from an unusually long drought, causing crop yields to fall by 40 percent and leading to widespread hunger. These conditions have forced many Angolans to seek better lives in neighbouring countries, including Zambia and Namibia. In Angola, PIN is fighting hunger and malnutrition by helping people adapt to the extreme climate, and by introducing climate-resistant agriculture. PIN is also providing direct emergency response and humanitarian aid to help the populations most vulnerable to malnutrition, including children.
Ethiopia
Training farmers PIN has worked in Ethiopia since 2009. Our projects have helped create farmer training centres, and we have led initiatives promoting afforestation, landscape planning, and the propagation of sustainable agriculture processes among small producers. Today, our focus in Ethiopia is on conservation agriculture, or the productive organisation of farmland.
Moldova
Supporting organic agriculture Since 2011, PIN and its partners have helped support organic agriculture in Moldova. The aim is to set up a system of bio-product certification and enable export of these products to the EU. In 2021, we began working with the Global Environmental Fund to introduce new elements of environmentally-friendly agriculture, including systems for collecting biomass and the development of composting plants.
Zambia
Helping farmers Although Zambia is a stable and fast-developing country, it has been strained in recent years by droughts, followed by heavy rains which cause flooding along the Zambezi River. Zambia accepts refugees from surrounding countries including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zimbabwe, and Angola, and many of the country’s poor, often from the countryside, have not benefitted from the country’s development. In the Eastern Province, PIN has supported poor farmers whose livelihoods are based on agriculture since 2018. These populations are vulnerable to hunger and malnutrition when crop failure occurs.
Mali
Supporting migratory populations In Mali, people make their living through agriculture and the country has a variety of pastoral farming populations, including nomads, semi-nomads, seasonal herders (transhumance), and permanent herders. Many of these populations migrate, and they have been joined in recent years by other regional and international migrants due to environmental and security issues caused by climate change. To help these populations, PIN is working in Kayes Province to develop a variety of resilient forms of agriculture including open fields, fishing, and vegetable production. We are also helping to build critical infrastructure including wells and dams.
Angola
Ethiopia
Moldova
Zambia
Mali
Philippines
Sustainable Landscape Management
03
The impact of climate change and poor landscape governance, including deforesting, overgrazing, and the loss of biodiversity, usually go hand in hand, which is why these issues need to be addressed simultaneously. A healthy landscape is key in adaptation to climate change, as healthy landscapes, including forests, wetlands, grass, and corals, help keep greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere. PIN offers a concept of a productive landscape that is resilient to climate change – a 4-step approach that includes landscape mapping, expert data, analysis of the area, and terrain work.
Ethiopia
Managing natural resources With the help of the Czech Development Agency and other donors, PIN has helped manage natural resources in Ethiopia since 2008. We have brought technical innovations to the afforesting of poorly kept or degraded areas, worked with livestock, and promoted integrated forms of agriculture. We have also introduced new fodder crops and erosion control plants, grass, and multi-purpose woody plants. Together with communities, we build landscape infrastructure, including anti-erosion steps, detention basins, ponds, and dykes, among others. We also arrange training and analyses to prepare local governments and communities for planning and running different landscape projects.
Afghanistan
Educating farmers Since 2008, we have supported the rural population in Afghanistan, mainly in the country’s north. We also run a national programme of agriculture education. There is a Farmer Field School where farmers can try new procedures and plants in their “model” fields. They can test these innovations under real conditions and evaluate their advantages in terms of sustainability and resilience. We also introduce new and more varied crops, and promote conservation agriculture.
Adaptation on the climate change in Czechia and Slovakia
In the Czech Republic, together with our partners, we launched the project‚ LIFE WILL – Water in Landscapes and Soils‘. The project aims to increase the resilience of people and agricultural landscapes to climate change; this will be achieved through the use of nature-based adaptation measures introduced at the local level. The project uses an innovative participatory methodology that helps to increase the involvement of local actors and the public and enhances their ability to advocate for effective measures to retain water in the soil and landscape. The project is co-financed by the Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic and the LIFE programme – a financial instrument of the European Union that supports projects that increase the biodiversity of the landscape and its resilience to climate change.
Ethiopia
Afghanistan
CZECHIA
Projects to Reduce Energy Poverty
04
We support the development of the sustainable technology market, and we supply energy sources to remote and less developed communities. These sources, including solar energy and biogas plants, have a great impact on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and deforestation. By supporting the development of renewable energy sources, we can enhance living standards for communities that lack access to electricity and other energy sources while contributing to climate change mitigation.
Philippines
Supporting solar panel construction Northern Samar Province, one of the poorest areas of the Philippines, is highly vulnerable to natural disasters. Approximately 40 percent of households here lack access to electricity; this number rises to almost 80 percent in the mountainous areas. PIN is working to provide access to disaster-resistant energy solutions for 1,875 households and 275 businesses.
Cambodia
Supporting renewable energy sources 6.9 million Cambodians lack access to the electricity grid, and people in rural areas pay up to four times more for electricity than those living in Cambodia’s cities. To help support access to electricity for rural populations, PIN is working to expand the presence of the energy industry into the rural market. The “Development of sustainable, market-oriented biogas and solar energy solutions for rural communities” project has made renewable sources of energy more accessible for over 38,000 villagers, and helped decrease the CO2 emissions by 236,276 tonnes a year.
Mongolia
Reducing air pollution Many of the poor in Mongolia’s cities cannot afford to buy imported insulation materials or to install modern heating systems. For heating, they often use inefficient coal stoves, which cause significant air pollution. To help improve this situation, PIN is implementing the “Switch Off Air Pollution (SOAP)” project, together with GERES, an international NGO. The initiative aims to reduce coal consumption in the area of Ger in Ulaanbaatar, increase knowledge, provide advisory and financial services to households, and strengthen supply chains. As part of the project, PIN has developed sustainable supply chains for wool eco-insulation from local sources. This insulation has been used to cover 52,000 square metres of living spaces to-date.
New platform will help understand air-pollution impact on health
Sri Lanka
Improved access to biogas technologies PIN is working to help promote biogas as a reliable source of clean energy and an effective waste disposal solution for businesses and households in Sri Lanka. The project implemented by PIN was essential to the foundation of the Lanka Biogas Association (LBA), initiated the development of national standards for biogas, and strengthened the market for related services, including design, construction, after-sale services, and appliances. Four financial institutions received in the development of credit schemes to support the building of biogas plants. The project enabled more than 1,000 households and 35 hotels to obtain biogas stations, and helped to reduce emissions by more than 2,504 tonnes of CO2 per year.
Philippines
Cambodia
Mongolia
Sri Lanka
Latin America has long been one of the most dangerous regions for environmentalists. To this end, PIN actively supports the environmental rights of local communities. We aim to defend criminalised environmentalists, and we produce audio-visual and radio projects related to the environment.
Ecuador
Strengthening indigenous voices In Ecuador, PIN aims to strengthen indigenous organisations and communities that support the collective rights and territories of indigenous people, as well as publicise the issues faced by native communities, including the ongoing destruction of their homes.
Honduras
Protecting activists Honduras is one of the most dangerous countries for activists working to protect forests and rivers. Several human rights defenders are killed here each year; in 2020 alone, twelve activists were killed in Honduras. PIN supports indigenous and non-native community-based projects which aim to protect human rights and territory, organise workshops, inform others about the destruction of the environment, and implement safety measures.
16-year old activist murdered in Honduras
Video: They left us completely on the street
Venezuela
Helping CSOs take on environmental threats The mining operations in Arco Minero del Orinoco, Venezuela, has had destructive impacts on both the environment and the local and indigenous communities in this area. PIN supports local civil society organisations that track environmental and human rights abuses in Arco Minero del Orinoco. We also support capacity building in communities which are vulnerable to threats from illegal mining companies and other groups.
Cuba
Environmental protection In Cuba, PIN supports civic environmental activities including afforesting, river clean-ups, and environmental awareness campaigns. We organise training inecology, recycling, nature protection, and campaign organising. In 2016, together with our Cuban partners, we published a report about the status of the environment in Cuba.
Video: Cuban artists sound the alarm on the environment they live in
Ratification of the Escazú Convention
In 2018, PIN signed an open letter that appealed to all countries in Latin Americana and the Caribbean to ratify the Escazú Convention. This convention brought forth the first agreement on access to information, public participation, and legal protections in environmental matters in Latin America and the Caribbean. The Escazú Convention was ultimately ratified by the minimum number of countries required, and entered into force in April 2021.
Vietnam
Supporting environmental activism PIN is supporting a nascent environmental movement in Vietnam by helping citizens’ initiatives demanding that the government and private companies take responsibility for the harmful environmental policies. These initiatives also raise awareness about sustainable development, and help assess the effects of development projects on the environment.
Ecuador
Honduras
Venezuela
Cuba
Escazú
Vietnam
The ilustration is inspired by Waorani people living in Ecuador’s Amazon rainforest.
Extreme weather and natural disasters can lead to long-running droughts and related crop failure, hunger, loss of livelihood, and civil disturbance, forcing people to leave their homes as a result. PIN works to mitigate the impacts of natural disasters and helps vulnerable communities become more prepared and resilient to these changes. In the last 10 years, we have helped support communities facing natural disasters and other issues related to climate change around the world.
Pakistan
The 2012 floods Severe droughts and floods are one manifestation of climate change in Pakistan. In October 2012, uncharacteristically intense rainfall caused floods in many parts of the country, and affected almost five million inhabitants. PIN was on the ground to support the many people who lost their homes in the floods.
Cambodia
The 2012 floods Cambodia has been affected by devastating storms and floods with increased frequency. In 2011, the country was hit by one of the worst floods in recent history; many people’s homes and livelihoods were swept away. To help prevent these losses in the future, PIN has been working on a comprehensive warning system that informs inhabitants about the risk of floods and helps them better protect their properties.
Nepal
The 2017 floods Heavy rainfall caused extreme floods in India, Bangladesh, and southern Nepal in 2017. These floods damaged houses, wiped out entire villages, and robbed the villagers of their livelihoods. PIN helped provide immediate humanitarian assistance, and supported people who had been evacuated until they could return to their villages.
Myanmar
The 2018 floods The monsoon season in Myanmar is long, and in recent years, the rain has been heavier and more unpredictable. In 2018, strong monsoons struck Myanmar, followed by floods that forced 150,000 people to leave their homes, washed away crops, and led to the collapse of many businesses. Food shortages ensued, leading PIN to provide assistance to affected families in Bago.
Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia
The 2014/2015 floods Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina also suffer from floods, in 2014, flooding caused unprecedented damage. Meteorologists noted that floods like those in 2014 had not occurred for at least 120 years. PIN sent staff that had experience from the 2002 floods in the Czech Republic, and also provided material aid to affected families.
Czech Republic
Repeat flooding The risk of flooding is directly connected to climate change and poor landscape management in most countries, including the Czech Republic. PIN was active in the Czech Republic during the floods of 1997, 2002, 2006, 2009, 2010, and 2013. We also published “We Live in a Floodplain” to help in our work to raise awareness of flood risks.
Philippines
Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan, which made landfall in the Philippines in 2013, was one of the most powerful natural disasters ever recorded. The typhoon affected approximately 14 million people, destroying homes and paralysing the population, much of which was left homeless and without the possibility of earning their livelihood. The consequences can still be felt here, and PIN has been working on strengthening the resilience of the population to natural disasters by helping them grow resilient crops such as cocoa.
Ethiopia
Humanitarian relief Ethiopia suffers from droughts and floods. In recent years, the country has experienced devastating locust invasions, political instability and violence, as well as fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. This combination of challenges has exacerbated long-standing problems with the country’s food supply. PIN was on the ground in Ethiopia in 2008, 2009, and 2016 to assist with the humanitarian crisis that was caused by droughts. We have also been involved in the development of projects to help make the population more resilient to climate change and extreme weather events.
Pakistan
Cambodia
Nepal
Myanmar
Bosnia and…
Czech Republic
Philippines
Ethiopia
Education and Awareness
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Ongoing climate change is a complex and complicated phenomenon, and it will be our children who will be left to shoulder the burden. For this reason, we must raise young people’s awareness and understanding of this issue and motivate them to be part of addressing the solution. PIN includes adapting to climate change as part of many of its educational activities.
1Planet4all
This European project focuses largely on issues related to climate change, especially regarding its effects on developing countries. The aim is to provide young people with the information and skills needed to mitigate the impact of climate change. As part of the project, we prepare videos, interviews with experts, and workshops with young people and scientists.
Public opinion survey in the Czech Republic
With the cooperation of Green Dock, we carried out an opinion poll throughout the Czech Republic. We asked respondents about their values and political orientation, as well as their opinions on climate change, the different policies that lead to greenhouse gas reduction, possibilities for adapting to climate change, and the connection between climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic. We will share the results once they are available.
Faces of climate change
Street-art intervention by the artist Toybox, which includes the placement of five murals in the streets of five Czech cities. Each mural shows the story of one face of climate change.
1Planet4all
Public opinion…
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EDUCATIONAL PROJECTS
We support education in climate change through the production of materials for teachers, providing reliable sources of information, and organising the One World educational festival
The Czech Republic is experiencing long-lasting droughts, poor forest conditions, and a lack of flood preparedness. Adaptation and mitigation measures have not yet been sufficient. PIN has significant experience with adaptation programmes from abroad and we would like to bring them to the Czech Republic. More specifically, we would like to promote sustainable agriculture, the forest industry, and general agroecological systems. The aim is to support those forms of agriculture and natural sources management which (in addition to production and utility function) offer important roles and services in the landscape, eg. species diversity, natural water, nutrition cycle support, and carbon storage.
Improving the Czech Landscape
In cooperation with a number of Czech farmers, authorities, and experts, we aim to improve the condition of the Czech landscape. We focus on issues such as insufficient water retention in soils, which causes droughts; propose innovative agricultural practices such as agroforestry; and work on the recovery of small water bodies and wetlands.
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