Background:

Nepal ranks 51 out of 163 countries in UNICEF’s children’s climate risk index of 2021. This study delves into the direct and indirect impacts of climate change on Nepal’s education system, with floods, landslides, and strong winds emerging as primary causes of immediate and direct damage to school infrastructure. The ramifications of climate change now encompass intense droughts, water scarcity, severe fires, flooding, catastrophic storms, and declining biodiversity. According to a UNICEF study in 2021, 78% of respondents, including children and adolescents in Nepal, reported that the impact of climate change directly affected their education and studies. Among them, 18% faced increased difficulties traveling to school due to climate-induced disasters and associated risks. Vulnerable groups such as the poor, marginalized communities, women, children, elderly, and disabled individuals are particularly susceptible to these impacts. The study highlights instances of heavy rains, floods, and landslides claiming lives, destroying crops and homes, and damaging infrastructure, leading to unsafe migration, fractured families, child-led households, hazardous child labor, trafficking, and sexual exploitation. Participants noted increased disparities among children based on gender, geography, and economic status, with reports of physical abuse, mistreatment, and even sexual and physical abuse by relatives. Climate change exacerbates child labor and impedes girls’ education, contributing to increased child marriage rates. Additionally, significant shifts in rainfall patterns intensify the risk of extreme climate events, further exacerbating child marriage rates and affecting sectors like agriculture, mining, and construction, where child labor is prevalent. Nepal also grapples with severe air pollution, with high levels of PM2.5 pollution contributing to thousands of deaths annually. Rising temperatures due to climate change have adverse effects on children’s health, hindering school attendance and well-being. The frequent climate-induced disasters disproportionately affect vulnerable children and youth, jeopardizing their development and exacerbating their challenges. Street-connected children and children with disabilities express distress over their vulnerability, fearing they will be the first to suffer during climate crises.
Green Chakra stands as a youth-led platform for climate action, born from the vision and drive of a group of adolescents. Its name, rooted in the concept of the green cycle of life, symbolizes the capacity for reciprocal giving and receiving, fostering self-nurturing and love when in equilibrium. The logo, a circular ring adorned with seven leaves, each representing a distinct hue of life, mirrors the essence of sustainability through the depiction of the seven R’s.
These seven R’s epitomize individual actions aimed at cultivating a sustainable lifestyle for oneself and one’s community. They serve as catalysts for societal change, urging us to reassess our behaviors and embrace new habits. Beginning with Rethink, it prompts introspection into consumption patterns and their environmental repercussions. Refuse advocates for the rejection of unnecessary items, particularly single-use plastics. Reduce encourages moderation in resource utilization, emphasizing the importance of mindful consumption. Reuse champions the repeated use of materials in their original form, while Repurpose advocates for their creative reinvention for alternative purposes. Recycling emerges as a pivotal eco-friendly method for waste disposal, ensuring controlled and sustainable management to minimize environmental harm. Lastly, Rot promotes the organic decomposition of waste, particularly food scraps, through composting, enriching agricultural soils with vital nutrients. Together, these seven R’s form a comprehensive framework for fostering sustainability, empowering individuals to effect positive change in their daily lives and beyond.

Goal:

To create a cleaner greener and safer environment for all children so that climate change will have less impact in their wellbeing, their rights are secure and they are protected from all forms of harm.

Objectives:

• Establishing a unified platform for youth nationwide to disseminate awareness, knowledge, and ideas surrounding eco-friendly lifestyles. This platform serves as a shared space where adolescents from diverse regions can convene, fostering seamless exchange of ideas, spearheading awareness campaigns, and engaging in meaningful discussions. By providing this hub, we aim to catalyze effective collaboration among young people, empowering them to champion sustainable habits and thereby fostering a positive environmental impact.
• Promoting the integration of the innovative 7Rs framework into daily life practices across the nation to achieve sustainability goals. Embracing concepts such as Rethink, Refuse, Reduce, Repurpose, Reuse, Recycle, and Rot, our objective is to inspire individuals nationwide to incorporate these principles into their everyday routines. By adopting these strategies, individuals can significantly reduce their ecological footprint, contributing to the mitigation of environmental challenges and the promotion of a greener lifestyle.
• Facilitating opportunities for youth to unite and collaborate towards forging a more sustainable and eco-conscious future for generations to come. Recognizing the pivotal role of youth engagement in driving sustainable development, we emphasize the importance of fostering connections and collective action among adolescents. By providing platforms for networking, knowledge-sharing, and collaborative endeavors, we empower youth to leverage their creativity and passion as catalysts for advocating sustainable changes.
• Advocating for accountability from both governmental and non-governmental entities in prioritizing climate-sensitive development and child-centered approaches, particularly in the face of climate crisis and natural disasters. It is imperative for institutions at all levels to acknowledge their responsibility in safeguarding the environment and protecting children who are disproportionately vulnerable to climate-related impacts. Through this initiative, adolescents assert their role in holding authorities accountable for their policies and actions concerning the environment and climate crisis. By advocating for impactful policies and practices, we strive to ensure that decisions made by governing bodies align with the imperative of creating a more sustainable and child-sensitive nation, thus securing a safer future and climate justice for all children.

Planned Activities of Green Chakra Initiative

• Increasing awareness about climate change among adolescents entails not only educating them about its causes and consequences but also empowering them with actionable steps to mitigate its impacts. The objective is to highlight the environmental shifts resulting from human activities and underscore the urgency of collective action in alleviating its repercussions.
• Fostering awareness among adolescents regarding their individual roles and responsibilities is crucial in cultivating a sense of accountability towards building a sustainable future. It is essential to emphasize that every individual, regardless of their age or background, possesses the potential to effect positive change, thus contributing to a collective environmental impact.
• Educating adolescents about zero waste management practices involves imparting strategies to minimize waste generation and divert waste from landfills. This includes promoting practices such as composting, recycling, repair, and advocating for sustainable packaging solutions.
• Showcasing the significance of the 7Rs in daily life serves to instill eco-friendly principles that guide individuals towards sustainable living. Educating adolescents about these principles empowers them to make conscious decisions aimed at minimizing waste and fostering a positive environmental impact.
• Establishing connections with adolescents through the National Adolescence Boys and Girls Network provides a platform for motivated individuals to participate in climate change campaigns and other relevant initiatives. This collaboration enables a broader reach and enhances the impact of awareness-raising efforts.
• Organizing both online and physical awareness sessions, such as webinars, workshops, presentations, and debates, serves to educate participants about environmental issues and sustainable policies, fostering understanding and driving change.
• Consulting with young people on initiating campaigns akin to the ‘Fridays for Future’ movement involves seeking their input and ideas to develop campaigns that resonate with their concerns and interests regarding environmental issues.
• Collaborating with organizations like CWIN-Nepal for environmental awareness drives leverages their expertise, resources, and networks to amplify the impact of environmental initiatives.
• Encouraging adolescents to take ownership and responsibility for campaigns and goals they create ensures their active participation and meaningful engagement. This empowerment enables adolescents to lead initiatives effectively and fosters community involvement.
• Networking with youth initiatives actively engaged in environmental and climate issues enhances collaboration and resource-sharing, strengthening collective efforts towards environmental sustainability.
• Advocating and lobbying with local and federal governments, as well as line ministries, to prioritize child-sensitive climate and environment policies, and incorporate child protection and safeguarding concerns into disaster risk reduction (DRR) responses and policies.
• Demanding the participation of children in local and national policy dialogues, including those related to DRR, ensures their voices are heard and their perspectives are considered in decision-making processes.

Role of CWIN-Nepal in facilitating the Green Chakra

• Conduct comprehensive research and studies on various facets of climate change and child rights, examining their impact on children’s well-being and protection, and provide relevant data and information to Green Chakra for informed advocacy.
• Enhance the capacity of children and young people to actively participate in advocacy efforts, empowering them to demand accountability from stakeholders regarding climate justice.
• Ensure the inclusion of children and young people from diverse backgrounds, including marginalized and excluded groups such as child workers, street-connected children, and children from sexual minority groups, in all activities and initiatives.
• Foster partnerships and linkages between young people and stakeholders at the local, provincial, and federal levels of government to amplify their voices and influence in climate action.
• Share examples of national and international best practices in climate action to inspire and inform Green Chakra’s initiatives.
• Provide orientation sessions on national and international environmental policies and scenarios to equip participants with relevant knowledge and understanding.
• Implement safeguarding measures to ensure the safety and protection of children during all campaign activities.
• Facilitate access to financial assistance for activities requiring funding support, enabling the implementation of impactful initiatives.
• Offer child-friendly tools and activities, such as comic workshops and exhibitions, to provide young people with creative outlets for expressing their views on climate justice.
• As a pioneering child rights organization, prioritize raising awareness, advocacy, and demanding accountability from stakeholders for children and climate justice.
• Provide essential mental health support, including counseling, therapy, and treatment, through CWIN-led child mental health services, ensuring rapid response and outreach to all districts of Nepal.
• Utilize the Child Helpline as a national child protection mechanism to ensure safeguarding and protection during times of crisis and natural disasters.
• Train peer leaders in child mental health to provide psycho-social first aid and build resilience among children experiencing distress due to climate change
• Strengthen the capacity and networking of civil society actors for climate justice, particularly in light of shrinking civic space.