The Voices of Local NGOs in Climate Change Issues: Examples from Climate Vulnerable Nations

Abstract

The contributions of small local non-government organisations (NGOs) in countries at risk from climate change to knowledge creation and action on climate change are rarely considered. This study sought to remedy this by focusing on NGOs in member countries of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF). Analysing data from Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs), NGO websites and email correspondence with NGO staff through a knowledge brokering typology, this study examines the ways in which local NGOs in five members of the CVF (Afghanistan, Bhutan, Kiribati, Nepal and Tuvalu) take action, generate new knowledge and understandings and contribute to the plans and actions of their government and the international community. The study found that local NGOs are involved in the creation of new knowledge both at the scientific and community level and engage in actions to support adaptation to climate change. However, there are differences in the approaches they take when making contributions to scientific knowledge and climate change debates. The findings of this study suggest the need to reconceptualise the role of local NGOs in small countries at risk from climate change.

Country-level conditions like prosperity, democracy, and regulatory culture predict individual climate change belief

“…I analyze the prediction effect of nine different country-level variables that were identified in previous studies as potentially influencing climate change belief and for which sufficient crossnational data was available. In particular, I examine whether the domestic presence of environmental NGOs (operationalized as environmental NGOs accredited to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 18 ) and the domestic presence of climate scientists (operationalized as scientific contributions to the Assessment Reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 19 ) predict individual climate change belief, as both actors are important climate change communicators [20][21][22] . I also analyze the role of economic development (as GDP per Capita 23 ) and civil liberties (operationalized with Freedom House' civil liberty rating 24 ) because qualitative studies indicate that mass media outlets in poor countries struggle to cover climate change 25,26 and that authoritarian states may repress the activities of environmental NGOs [27][28][29] .…”

Developing climate governance strategies in Nigeria: An emphasis on methane emissions mitigation

“…Through advocacy, research, and on-the-ground projects, NGOs bridge the gap between local concerns and global discussions (Ceesay, 2020). They highlight the voices of those most affected by climate change, ensuring that global strategies are both inclusive and effective (McGregor et al, 2018). Furthermore, NGOs often pioneer innovative solutions, collaborate across borders, and act as watchdogs, holding governments and corporations accountable for their environmental commitments (Vu et al, 2021).…”

La pandemia de la COVID-19 en el radar de las ONG ecologistas: entre lo global y local

“…139-164 climático se sabe que difunden conocimiento basado muchas veces en investigación científica con un lenguaje y escalas temporales adecuadas para la elaboración de las políticas, con el objetivo de conseguir cambios de comportamiento en la sociedad (Gemmill y Bamidele-Izu, 2002;McNaught et al, 2014, Ihlen et al, 2015. Elaboran estrategias de adaptación, refuerzan los análisis científicos y operan como repositorios de información sobre el tema (McGregor et al, 2018).…”