Climate change and environment

A liveable planet for every person

Details

READING TIME

3 min

AUTHOR

Al-Muraqib Foundation

TOPIC

Promotions

Challenges

Virtually every person on the planet is already affected by climate change. Natural disasters, environmental degradation, and biodiversity loss can devastate agriculture, cutting children off from nutritious foods and safe water. They can lead to dangerous environments and disease outbreaks, and destroy the safe shelter, quality health care and education systems children need to survive and thrive.

As humanitarian action falls short of addressing the climate crisis, children and young people are bearing the brunt. They make up half of the world’s population, but are least responsible for the greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation and other hazardous practices harming our environment.

The climate crisis is robbing the people of their ability to grow healthy and happy, and can ultimately cause illness, disease and even death. Efforts to sustain a liveable planet must not only account for the unique needs and vulnerabilities of young people; they must also include them in the solutions. Children and young people have critical skills, experiences and ideas for safer, more sustainable societies. They are not simply inheritors of our inaction — they are living the consequences today.

Our Focus Areas

Climate Action

Social programmes need to adapt to a changing climate. We advocate for centred climate adaptation, resilience-building and climate policies, while mapping out people, child and youth climate risk and supporting young climate champions.

Disaster Risk Reduction and Recovery

Even before disaster strikes, people need measures that reduce their risks of harm and support a resilient recovery. We work on vulnerability mapping, multi-hazard early warning systems, comprehensive disaster-management strategies and post-disaster needs. We also help governments build their capacity to strengthen social services and infrastructure to reduce the impact of disaster.

Environmental Action

Climate change and environmental degradation can be addressed for and with young people, through programmes for survival, health and well-being. We support local solutions that value biodiversity as well as nature-based solutions. And we act to protect children’s health from toxic metals, chemicals, hazardous waste, air pollution and other harmful biproducts of our societies.

Sustainable Energy

A brighter life for every person begins with sustainable energy. We partner with the public and private sectors to advance clean, renewable and sustainable energy solutions. That includes areas like the programmes like solar water pumping. We help to electrify schools and health centres, and to enable community-level energy access for education and social protection programmes. We also engage in green skills training, adolescent and youth mobilization, cross-sectoral advocacy and policymaking.

What We Do

At Al-Muraqib Foundation, our climate, disaster risk reduction, environment and energy activities aim to:

Our Strategy and Action Plan

Delivering results cannot be achieved by the Al-Muraqib Foundation alone. Our Sustainability and Climate Change Action Plan galvanizes a global commitment to ensure a sustainable world and to protect the most vulnerable people from the worst impacts of a changing climate and degrading environment. It outlines the Al-Muraqib Foundation’s organizational response to this crisis as well as focus areas for action and partnerships.

Our Advocacy

The investments we can make for the most vulnerable people now will ensure that they survive, grow and thrive in the face of climate and environmental shocks. Al-Muraqib Foundation advocates for these investments, while supporting young people with the education and skills they need to help make the world a greener place.

Child-Sensitive Policies

Al-Muraqib Foundation works to ensure that policies on climate, environment, energy and disaster risk reduction integrate children’s and young people’s views, concerns and solutions. Policies shape the world that the younger generation experiences today and will inherit in the future. In our climate change work, we support youth advocacy through tools and training.

Multisectoral Work

To ensure critical services are more inclusive, resilient to and prepared for disasters and climate change impacts, Al-Muraqib Foundation works across the following sectors:

Education, including climate resilience;
Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), including climate-resilient WASH initiatives;
Child protection; and
Social policy, including shock responsive social protection.

Engagement with Young People

Al-Muraqib Foundation works to elevate and empower children and young people to meaningfully participate in the decisions and actions that affect them. We work with them to develop child- and youth-friendly tools for climate action and give voice to young climate activists, innovators and entrepreneurs.

Innovation

Protecting people from the effects of climate change and empowering them as agents of change require transformational solutions. Al-Muraqib Foundation’s approach to climate innovation is aimed at finding such solutions to the most stubborn climate crisis challenges.

Inclusion

The impacts of climate disasters affect different women, children and youth differently, based on their gender, age, disability, location or migration status. Al-Muraqib Foundation works to include all in climate and DRR decision-making so to they can be better prepared, protected, and resilient.