In recent years, the climate crisis has become one of the most alarming global threats in the world as we know it, with vulnerable communities in the Global South such as individuals living in disaster-prone areas, marginalized women, indigenous people, and children bearing the brunt of the consequences of this crisis, despite being the least contributors to it.
In various parts of the world, including Asia, developing countries find themselves grappling with the harsh realities of the climate crisis, struggling to keep pace with its escalating impacts.
Take Bangladesh, for instance, where rising sea levels and increased cyclonic activities threaten the livelihoods of millions living in low-lying coastal areas. Similarly, the prolonged droughts and increasing temperatures are impacting Indonesia, leading to potential reductions in rice yields. Philippines’s high incidence of displacements due to natural disasters is also a proof that the country is among the most affected by climate change.
One glaring realization amid these challenges has prompted the urgency of a clean and just energy transition. These low-income communities deserve the restitution for the damage and losses they have suffered.
While leaders have agreed to triple the renewable energy investment by 2030 to move from fossil fuels, the solution to this multifaceted issue demands more than just financial resources and high-level commitments. It necessitates a ground-up approach involving local communities at the grassroots level.
While leaders have agreed to triple the renewable energy investment by 2030 to move from fossil fuels, the solution to this multifaceted issue demands more than just financial resources and high-level commitments. It necessitates a ground-up approach involving local communities at the grassroots level.
Young people from Nirvoy Foundation, Bangladeh took action in the Global Power Up
Unfortunately, the global discourse on climate action often fails to adequately include the voices and perspectives of those who are most affected. This situation is exemplified by the arrest of five prominent environmental activists in Vietnam, two of whom are Dang Dinh Bach and Hoang Thi Minh Hong who played a role in securing a $15.5 billion deal known as the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP).
As the world is celebrating Clean Energy Day, it is crucial to underscore that despite being on the frontlines of climate-related adversities and the shrinking civic space, vulnerable communities have been showing remarkable resilience and innovation for years.
As the world is celebrating Clean Energy Day, it is crucial to underscore that despite being on the frontlines of climate-related adversities and the shrinking civic space, vulnerable communities have been showing remarkable resilience and innovation for years.
In Bangladesh, for instance, young people are coming together at the Green New Deal hub to discuss the direction of the country’s transition to renewable energy. With a firm belief in the power of multimedia to spread awareness, young climate activists in Bangladesh created a movie and did a screening tour, showing stories of Noor Ayisha and Abdul Jabbar who lived near the Matarbari Power Plant that Japan is funding. Simultaneously, communities in rural Bangladesh join hands with Grameen Shakti, one of the leading social enterprises in the world, and has installed more than 1.8 million Solar Home Systems (SHS) to provide energy access to rural communities.
In San Agustin, a small island in the Philippines, the Solar Scholars from vulnerable communities are building community-owned renewable energy systems for their communities to use. This initiative emphasizes the broader objective of constructing affordable and reliable energy access for those residing in disaster-prone areas that have been facing prolonged blackouts since 2022.
Similarly, in Indonesia, the JETP is monitored by climate activists to ensure transparency and money is being allocated to communities who need it most, right after the investment of USD20 billion funding commitment from the United States and Japan was announced. On a wider scale, over 30,000 young activists from vulnerable groups in Asia took to the streets to demand climate justice a month ahead of COP28.
These are just a few samples of many other great initiatives done by vulnerable communities. While these communities actively engage in grassroots initiatives and demonstrate resilience, their absence from key decision-making tables hinders the formulation of comprehensive and effective policies. However commendable the commitment to tripling renewable energy investments may be, it remains an incomplete endeavor without genuine and inclusive representation.
As we laud progress, let us also question the structural inequalities that perpetuate the exclusion of the very voices that can guide us toward a sustainable and just future. After all, the true power of a clean energy transition lies not just in the technology and funding commitment but in the empowerment of every community. Tripling renewable energy means nothing if it leaves vulnerable communities in the dark – it demands transparency, accountability, and a genuine commitment to human rights when allocating funds for climate initiatives.