The coping mechanism of the poor and marginalized crumbles with the extreme change in the climate leading to the loss of lives and livelihoods. Hence, it is high time to initiative community-managed coping with the climate change consequences through climate-resilient measures which are ecologically sensitive, economically viable, socially adaptive, traditionally practised and culturally acceptable.

Some of the climate systems of the planet have already seen irreversible changes due to unabated global warming. The winters are prolonged, drought-prone areas are getting flooded, rainfalls have been receded from the rainfall intensive regions and cyclones became a regular phenomenon. Over the past 10 decades, 20 million people every year have been forced from their homes by weather-related disasters and such disasters has tripled in the past 30 years. India in particular has seen multiple disasters in terms of floods, landslides, cyclones, drought, etc in very quick succession every year.

Caritas Institute of Development Action and Learning (CIDAL), a platform created for learning and exchange of knowledge has organised a 4 days workshop on Climate Resilient Approaches and Practices on January 11-14, 2021 Munnar Integral Social Transformation (MIST), Munnar, Idukki District, Kerala. The workshop deliberated the issues of climate change and global warming, practices and approaches to mitigate the effect of climate change and chart out a new map as a way forward to follow green initiatives. It is highly relevant in the context of increased incidences of natural disasters, degradations which are disturbing the livelihoods of many people every year.

The input sessions supplemented by practical demonstrations, field exposures, group activities, etc. was attended by 21 people including Diocesan Directors, Program Managers of the different organisations, and climate experts. This workshop was facilitated by Dr. Haridas V.R, Team Leader of Climate Justice division of Caritas India, New Delhi along with Mr. Murali, Head – Projects for Geology and Hydrogeology of Indo Enviro Infrastructure services Limited (IRISL), Hyderabad. Fr (Dr.) Paul Moonjely, the Executive Director of Caritas India shared inputs on Laudato Si and Climate Change in the workshop.

Caritas India plans to align with International agreements such as the 2015 Paris Agreement, Goal 13 of Sustainable Development Goals and the Key Strategic Pillars of Caritas India. The Community-led approach to climate justice would break the culture of merely being a beneficiary of a program and would bring people to the foundation of their development. In this approach, CIDAL would be a valuable facilitator, co-learner and a capacity builder in the process of increasing the resilience and capacity of the people.

This workshop aimed at enhancing the knowledge and skills of Civil Society Organisations (CSO), NGO professionals on various aspects of Climate Resilient Practices by training them to improve their knowledge and skills.

The input sessions related to global warming and ozone layer depletion, causes of natural disasters like landslides, floods, droughts, climate-resilient farming systems, water conservation and management, water budgeting, practical demonstrations of the preparation of organic manures, growth promoters to sent up nutrition gardening, renewable energy sources, green audit and green protocol helped the participant to discuss the adaptation approaches. As follow up actions, the participants will conduct a green audit and green protocol, promotion of natural farming systems, reducing carbon footprints through low carbon initiatives, planting multispecies tree plants, promoting renewable energy are some of the follow-up actions proposed at the organisational level.