Ways Forward – Addressing Climate Change at Local Levels

Carol J. Pierce Colfer, CIFOR & Cornell University

ABSTRACT: Much of the effort related to climate change has so far focused on assisting governments to reduce emissions. Yet many seeserious dangers in that approach, fearing that the additional funding provided to governments is likely to be used in ways that both adverselyaffect the people living in and around forests and fail to reduce emissions. Although there are important transaction costs involved in workingdirectly with forest communities, I argue that such an approach is in fact the one most likely to succeed.Addressing the problems brought about by climate change will require solutions that vary by location and by population. The specific climaticchanges in any given locale can only be predicted, at this stage, in very gross terms; and we know from decades of ‘development assistance’that human systems are also complex and dynamic, making predictions and/or standardized planning equally difficult. Many groups around theworld have been experimenting with facilitation, social learning, and adaptive collaborative management to bring about locally relevant changeby local communities. Such approaches require significant changes in attitude, e.g. From ‘we [scientists, researchers, development practitioners] know best’ to ‘let’s figure this out together’ [with local people and local

government actors], From seeing a ‘failure’ as something to fear to seeing it as a learning opportunity, From dealing with elites to catalyzing social action among various groups (including women, despised ethnic groups, occupational

groupings, youth) From hierarchical attitudes to more democratic onesWe know from experience that such attitudinal changes are difficult; and that working with communities takes skills that many in the climatechange community do not have. To do this right, we’ll need to train cadres of skilled facilitators who can study and understand local culturalsystems while they motivate and mobilize the various segments of forest communities to address climate change issues. At the same time,such cadres will need to serve as communication nodes linking local folks to broader sources of funding and expertise. Long term funding(10-15 years) is a necessity. Social change, essential in combating climate change, takes time–something we’ve learned from our experiencewith adaptive collaborative management.We need to factor in mechanisms (like social learning, participatory action research, adaptive collaborative management, and more effectivedevolution) to deal with the dynamism and complexity of the issues that need to be addressed. We need to mobilize the creativity, energy, andmotivation of people living in and around forests; and to do that we must take seriously their own interests, concerns, and capabilities, as wellas our own. Without that, we run the risk of repeating the failures that have characterized so many development and conservation efforts todate.

Ways Forward - AddressingClimate Change at Local Levels

Special thanks to Bruno Locatelli for his help!

Adaptation and Mitigation Two approaches to climate change, operating at

different scalesMitigation: focuses on and responds to global interestsAdaptation: focuses on and responds to local needs

Clear need to link the two Strengthen sustainability of CDM, REDD+ efforts

when people’s vulnerability is reduced.Adds legitimacy to CDM/REDD+ effortsAdditional funds available for maintaining people’s

well being

Mitigation, in Context

Key Fears REDD and Funds given

to governments could be badly used (land grabs, resettlement, corruption) adverse effects on people,

cultures, and environments Failure to reduce

emissions

Adaptation in Context

Key Fears Climate change will increase people’s current vulnerability

(to climate variability, economic or political crisis, etc.)

adverse effects on people, cultures, and environments

Top-down adaptation processes Heightened transaction costs

failure to reduce vulnerability

Key Realities for Adaptation and Mitigation Need to find solutions at local scale (& related

transaction costs) Geographic variability Variability over time

Under-recognized Realities:

Power, strengths ,value of ordinary people & system Population growth(2-2.8 annually in Africa)

Difficulties of Prediction

Adaptation: Local climatic impacts and vulnerability can only be predicted in gross terms

Mitigation: Effects of REDD+ initiatives are uncertain (e.g., leakage, elite capture, distributional and gender effects, rights deprivation)

making predictions and/or standardized planning equally difficult

From Diagnosis to [Partial] Prescription

The need: “…to balance attention to diagnosis of forest governance problems with attention to what

to do about them. We would all go to the doctor less often if he or she was good at telling us what was

wrong with us, but never had any prescriptive advice for cure.”

Frances Seymour, Director General, CIFOR

Collaborative Experimentation with Local Communities –> Empowerment + Response to Local Variability Facilitation Social Learning Adaptive Collaborative Management

To address some of the problems encountered in conventional ‘development assistance’

Centrality of Attitudinal Change [including our own]

Attitudes affect people’s willingness/ability to change(as needed to address climate change)

4 Attitudinal Changes Needed (1)1. from ‘we [scientists, researchers, development

practitioners] know best’ to ‘let’s figure this out together’[with local people and local government actors]

2. From seeing a ‘failure’ as something to fear to seeing it as a learning opportunity

4 Attitudinal Changes Needed (2)3. From dealing only with elites to catalyzing social action among

various groups (including women, despised ethnic groups, occupational groupings, youth)

4. From hierarchical attitudes to more democratic ones

Mechanisms to ‘Factor in’ social learning, participatory action research, adaptive

collaborative management, more effective devolutionTo help us deal with the dynamism and complexity of the

issues we need to address

Attending to population issues (reduce growth rates, improve women and girls’ lives, access female creativity)

For both environmental and human well being

Needs Develop new skills Skilled facilitators at all levels Study and understand local systems Motivate and mobilize local actors Serve as liaisons to broader efforts/resources

Longer term funding to maintain the level of effort, to follow up on local plans

Grant greater local level autonomy (freedom to fail)

General (Nested) Process Work with multiple stakeholders to define long term goals Define small action groups Facilitate an iterative process (analyze, plan, implement,

monitor/evaluate, revise plans)---with long term goals in mind

Follow up with linking functions to needed outside resources (info, funds, networks)

Ways to Improve on Current Practice Factor in more explicit attention to power differentials

(both within communities and between communities and other actors)

Develop incentive structures to level playing fields Coordinate better among sectors (facilitation) Ensure longer term, sustained funding

Ultimately, We need to mobilize the creativity, energy, and motivation of

people living in and around forests; to do that we must take seriously their own interests,

concerns, and capabilities, as well as our own. Without that, we repeat the failures that have characterized so

many development and conservation efforts to date

Thanks for your Attention!