At the Frontlines of a Changing Climate: Learning from Small Businesses in Africa and Asia

Over the past two decades, the near and long-term effects of climate change have been cataclysmic as extreme heat, flooding, wildfires, cyclones, and prolonged droughts has swept across regions of the globe. The most vulnerable to the blunt impacts of changing weather patterns and natural disasters are informal workers—a global workforce of 2 billion people that is largely unsupported or protected by the state.

As informal workers already lack financial and social safety nets, climate change is deleterious to their health and livelihoods, and their exclusion from official data and climate action planning at state and national levels leaves them particularly vulnerable.

This Special Issue of Southasiadisasters.net brings voices and experiences from informal worker communities who sit on the nexus of climate change and the future of work. Workers from India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Tajikistan, Ghana, and Kenya share how climate-related threats directly affect lives and livelihoods, and how communities have adapted to build climate resilience. It analyses the individual and collective responses to showcase how to recognise their essential contributions and integrate informal workers into climate solutions and policies.

Pathak shows how blending science and policy create safer, greener ecosystems within urban centres for small businesses.  In Nepal, Timilsina underscores the strength of multi-stakeholder cooperation and municipality support to prevent, protect, and respond to surging climate crises caused by flooding and accompany landslides. Bhuju turns our attention to girls’ education as a catalyst for awareness and adaptation that can last for generations. Mayo shares how small changes from traditional to electric vehicles have ripple effects on climate emissions, income, and broader equity, including transport workers’ rights. From the crisis in the Tal village, the Youth Alliance for Environment (YAE) speaks to disaster preparedness and settlement planning that prioritise awareness and infrastructure. Paul discusses the importance of providing resources to farmers in Ghana to promote land restoration and agroforestry, while also building more resilient production seasons. Dickson showcases how, in Ghana, local community engagement and knowledge, coupled with nature-based solutions, have reverberating effects that encourage transformation. Muller walks us through Tajikistan’s roadmap for early warning systems, positing that, through cooperation and the inclusion of local voices and public authorities, climate protection can be achieved. Azad’s article on “Towards Climate Resilience: Lessons From Communities” highlights how everyday practices by families and leaders cause collective, sustainable changes that can be shared and scaled. Trivedi notes that climate resilience does not only refer to people, but to culture and sites as well, and conservation efforts like Shekhawati Havelis ensure heritage can be passed on. Haripriya and Dhyani emphasise that socio-ecological considerations and the restoration of greenery are critical to climate sustainability and resilience planning. The discovery of precipitation variability from dry and wet spells by Pathak et al. in Upper Assam points to the need for interventions to safeguard essential rural livelihoods. Shyamji’s first-hand experiences demonstrate the power of co-produced practices in bringing about innovation in the face of climate change. And Kumari provides insight into the impacts and importance of youth in driving climate resilience.

Our aim in this issue is to recognise common challenges and turn them into opportunities for learning and exchange. It is through a cross-pollination of ideas, not siloing, that communities around the world can build scalable, sustainable resilience to the effects of our changing environment. Climate resilience is built together, and we must act now to ensure essential workers are protected and prepared.

How I/NGOs Can Do Better In Tackling Climate Change

International non-government organisations (I/NGOs) hold an important, but delicate, role. Although varied, I/NGOs serve to aid in humanitarian assistance, promote human rights and social justice, advocate for policy changes, and contribute to long-term sustainable development in areas like education, health, and poverty reduction

In recent years, climate change and its devastating impacts on the most vulnerable populations –the working poor, women, children, and migrants—have cut across these distinct pillars, and there is a need for I/NGOs to do more in tackling the pervasive effects of the current climate crisis.

In consideration of resources and connections, key actions that I/NGOs could take include:

• Focus on local issues and leverage storytelling: Through framing climate change in terms of local contexts, such as health or energy costs on a family or community, it connects large-scale problems to single individuals on a personal level, ensuring it is less abstract and more urgent. Using powerful, individual narratives makes climate communication more compelling and accessible, and moves beyond fear-mongering rhetoric towards solutions-oriented approaches that emphasise collective action.
• Empower grassroots movements: Going beyond traditional top-down policy-making and programs, I/NGOs can work within local communities to mobilise grassroots action, to put pressure on institutions, and centre the voices of those most affected by environmental injustice, who often have the most at stake.
• Collaborate across sectors: Forming strategic partnerships with local and national government, civil society organisations, public sector, and private companies, I/NGOs can combine grassroots knowledge, industry expertise, financial resources, and operational planning to scale sustainable solutions that meet the need of individuals, families, and communities undergoing distress due to climate change.
• Build broader, more inclusive coalitions and amplify each other’s work: I/NGOs play a crucial role in climate advocacy, but they can be more effective by diversifying and expanding their alliances across regional and country borders to share perspectives and generate cross-cutting solutions

Larger I/NGOs should partner with and elevate smaller, local NGOs that provide valuable community context and connections. Sharing networks and expertise can lead to greater collective impact.

Cover photo: aidmi