The challenge: Air, land, and water are shared global resources, and a healthy environment is crucial for humans to thrive. But climate change, one of the defining issues of our time, has observable effects including rising sea levels and longer, more intense heat waves. Shifts in weather patterns and frequencies of natural disasters have increased, sometimes catastrophic, impacts – including in parts of the developing world, where communities are increasingly vulnerable to food insecurity and economic crisis.
As environmental degradation and climate change have had a growing impact on the populations that we serve, protecting the environment and mitigating climate change, as well as helping populations adapt to the effects of climate change, has taken on increased urgency and importance.
Our solution: Our programs promote environmental sustainability, mitigate the impacts of climate change, and encourage creative solutions to the challenges facing our planet. We encourage sustainable uses of natural resources to mitigate further contribution to climate change, and we work with communities to improve their ability to adapt to existing or expected changes in their environment.
IDEA will enhance the engagement of Canadians especially youth in Canada and improve their access to, and use of, equitably distributed global citizenship learning products, resources, and opportunities.
Gertrude and Peter are Regional Partnerships Fellows in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Read their reflections on working on the AKDN’s micro-forest initiative.
Onno Ruhl is the first General Manager of the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH), created in 2016 to address the increasing threat posed by natural disasters and climate change.