Climate change is seen as an environmental crisis but it has a deeper interlinkage with development challenges. The effect of one transcends to the other in one form or the other. The situaiton needs a comprehensive and inclusive approach to address the issue.

Caritas Institute of Development, Action and Learning (CIDAL), Indian Council of Social Welfare (ICSW) and CEVA co-organised a workshop on Climate adaptive approaches and practices to enlighten the NGOs to adapt and lead climate-resilient approaches and practices and conserve the environment.

The workshop was supported by US Embassy India as part of US Alumni Micro Grant project in partnership with SWECHHA and hosted at Kottayam Social Service Society, Kottayam on June 16-18, 2022. A total of 58 representatives of NGOs working on green initiatives and climate-resilient practices from 3 districts of Kerala to discuss and deliberate the issues of the changes in climatic patterns and possible solutions to mitigate its effects.

Executive Director of Caritas India, Fr. (Dr.) Paul Moonjely inaugurated the workshop and shared the relevance of being a responsible citizen and conserving nature. No one-size-fits-all solution, it needs an inclusive and comprehensive effort from a top-down and bottom-up approach.

Dr. Haridas V.R and Mr. Jittu were the lead resource persons of the workshop. The resource persons presented a broader overview of climate crisis by highlighted the impact of global warming, greenhouse gases emission, climate change, ultraviolet radiation and the possibilities of carbon sequestration and carbon credit. They also share their views on liberalization, privatization, and globalization and mentioned about micro-plastics, diseases, coastal erosion, sea-level rise, drought and impacts on the environment. The aspects of food security, preservation of groundwater and sustainable development etc. were also shared as solution to this crisis.

A group activity was conducted to map the analytical skills of the participants on the environment. All four groups took different topics of their choice and presented them creatively with others. The selected topics were on negative impacts of fast food, relevance of protecting water, air, and soil for the wellbeing of mother earth, the issue of littering plastic wastes and different environmental issues presented in the form of a skit.

Mr. Jittu shared how the Green Protocol can be implemented in individual life and shared from his practical life. The participants were oriented on calculating the carbon emission of each product in our house. This activity helped participants understand the consequences of exploitation of resources.

Mr Antony talked about the infinite possibilities of nanotechnology and reminded that the soil structure has been lost due to human misdeed or exploitation and we now have an unhealthy soil. He shared about different products that can help to increase production using the latest nanotechnology without damaging the soil, nature and living organisms. Mr. Jittu mentioned how to conduct green audit and the role of each one in carbon emissions which is a greatest threat to the Earth and contributes to the global warming and climate change.

Dr. Haridas took a session on ‘Natural Farming’ and shared his experience based on Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) of Bt. Cotton at Khammam. The difference between the usage of a tractor (which is a symbolism of pollution and capitalism) instead of deep ploughing (implies the transformation from traditional farming to chemical farming) was clearly explained by him. The speaker added that we should work together for sustaining agriculture for our happiness, low dependency of farmers on corporations, to give respect to nature, better health, more profitable and toxin free environment. The introduction of the Nutrition Garden, a new concept “Garden of Eden” was clearly elucidated in the present day scenario. Dr. Haridas shared about calculation of carbon sequestration, vermicomposting, well recharging and new initiatives to use solar energy was made familiar through the session.

The session on eco-friendly sanitary napkins was taken by Mr. Suresh. He informed, these sanitary napkins use highly-absorbent banana fibre, which is an agricultural by-product and does not require additional land or water usage and their eco-friendly and compostable sanitary napkin pads do not contain any bleach or chemicals that release toxins into the environment upon disposal. Made from all-natural materials, these pads are comfortable for the user as well, and do not cause rashes or chronic illnesses. Even its packaging is done from recycled hygiene paper, and they also have free infection testing material along with the pad.

The valedictory function was chaired by Bishop Givargis Mar Aprem. The dignitaries present includes Adv Mons Joseph MLA, Block Panchayat President Mrs. Arya Rajan, Fr. Sunil Perumaloor (Director, KSSS) and

Mr. P U Thomas (Director, Navajeevan Trust, Kottayam). Adv. Mons Joseph MLA in his speech he pointed out that climate change is an alarming global issue and has become a threat to our Earth. He said that a joint effort is the need of the hour to combat climate change. He inaugurated the concluding session by lighting a lamp and specially congratulated the organizers of the workshop especially Dr. Mary Venus. Dr. Haridas spoke about the importance of environmental protection activities through panchayats. He also requested the Block Panchayat President to take initiative to make this possible.

Bishop Givargis Mar Aprem in his keynote address reflected on the issues of climate change and the need for better understanding of the issues and the importance of formulating sustainable and effective measures to deal with the problem of climate change. He added that it is our duty to protect the environment in which we live. Mr. P U Thomas spoke about environmental protection, the unbalanced social environment, and the loss of human values. Mrs. Arya Rajan in her speech stated that our day-to-day life activities are the main cause for climate change and therefore we also need to find solutions to care for our climate. Plastic has become one of the environment’s biggest adversaries. Although there is growing awareness of how it can suffocate our streets and rivers, suffocate marine life, and even end it in our food, we are not ready to reduce its use. She motivated the participants to share the knowledge gained through the workshop with others in the community. This was followed by the awarding of certificates for a three-day workshop on Climate Adaptation Approaches and Practice.