Developing Holistic Climate Resilient Solutions

The Fireside Chat at the 2024 Future of Health Youth Pre-Conference

By Glory Ogunbodede

Nigeria Health Watch hosted a fireside chat at the 2024 Future of Health Youth Pre-Conference which focused on developing holistic climate-resilient solutions. The Fireside Chat was an intimate and engaging session designed to facilitate a deep and meaningful conversation on the critical intersections of climate change and health in Nigeria. It featured panelists who shared their thoughts on the need for infrastructure resilience, human resource preparedness, and the integration of climate and health policies. The discussion also highlighted the importance of youth engagement, mental health considerations, and the role of organic farming and urban gardening in climate adaptation. At the end of the session, the panelists provided actionable steps for young people to get involved, such as becoming climate evangelists, leveraging digital solutions, and seeking funding opportunities.

This fireside chat was moderated by Ernesto Idibia, an Engagement Officer at Medlabconvo, and the panelists included Ayobami Oladipo (Country Business Lead, Ignitia.), Chinweoke Abuwa (Economist And Policy Advocate), Effiom Nyeh (CEO And Co-Founder Of Ekondo), Godwin Lasisi (Founder — Interfaith Alliance For SDG Action Plan), and Jennifer Uchindu (Founder, SustyVibes), who shared their perspectives on the developing holistic climate resilient solutions.

Chinweoke Abuwa’s Perspective on Building Climate-Resilient Health Systems

Chinweoke highlighted the importance of young people seeing climate change advocacy as their responsibility. “It is everybody’s problem, and young people who have had the opportunity to get educated have the responsibility to educate other people.”

She also emphasized the need for resilient health infrastructure, human resource preparedness in combating the climate crisis, and the integration of climate and health policies to address the challenges.

According to Chinweoke, climate is linked to everything. It is linked to food security, infrastructure, the environment, and the interlinkage doesn’t just stop at the door of health. Therefore, developing climate resilient solutions is a necessity and we must realistically think of how to incorporate transparency and accountability into funds that come into climate and health.

Jennifer Uchindu’s Insights on the Link between Climate Change and Mental Health

Jennifer discussed the strong linkage between climate change and mental health, particularly for young people. She explained how climate-related impacts, such as loss of livelihoods, food insecurity, and environmental degradation, can lead to emotions like anger, helplessness, and stress among the youth.“We don’t have the functional health systems that are resilient enough to adapt to the climate crisis. When you put all of this together and you place yourself as a young person, it is stressful because you are thinking, how do I adapt? I grew up in a farmland that has been ravaged because of climate change. That is devastating.”

Jennifer also emphasized the need to address the mental health dimension of climate adaptation to ensure people’s willingness and resilience. Her organization works with a lot of young people who have been impacted by heat waves, floods, and droughts. These people are uncomfortable, stressed out and they don’t know what the future holds.

Ayobami Oladipo’s Perspective on Leveraging Organic Farming and Climate Information Systems

Ayobami highlighted the importance of climate information services and organic farming in building resilient food systems. She explained how Ignatia provides daily weather updates and farming advice to smallholder farmers through SMS, and encouraged youth to get involved in the dissemination of this information.

“In my organization, we send text SMS to farmers on their phone in their local languages every day, letting them know what the weather condition is going to be. Is it going to rain? And we will also guide them on when to apply fertilizers or other imputes based on the weather condition. But we realize that we are one small organization, we can’t be everywhere.”

Oladipo also emphasizes the potential for youth to advocate for organic farming practices and establish urban farming initiatives.

Effiom Nyeh’s Insights on Integrating Nature-Based Solutions into Urban Planning

Effiom discussed the importance of integrating nature-based solutions into urban planning to mitigate the impacts of climate change. He highlighted the mental health benefits of having access to green spaces and the potential for urban gardening to improve food security and nutrition.

“I think that urban gardens can be created to decentralize the production of certain foods. I don’t think that everything has to come from the rural areas. One of the biggest flex I think I have experienced in the last couple of months in my life is being able to make a dish and take herbs from my garden to put it in my food.”

Nyeh also emphasized the need to contextualize solutions to address the specific challenges faced by urban communities, particularly those in informal settlements.

Godwin Lasisi’s Perspective on Youth Engagement in Climate Policy and Action

Godwin emphasized the need for young people to become climate evangelists and educate their communities about the impacts of climate change. He also encouraged youth to seek funding opportunities, such as the Smart Grant Program, and to collaborate with established organizations to implement climate-related projects. Lasisi stressed the importance of starting small and building up gradually, rather than aiming for large-scale initiatives from the outset.

Action Items for Young People from the Fireside Chat

1. Become a climate evangelist and educate your community about the impacts of climate change, using simple and relatable language.

2. Explore opportunities to create digital solutions, such as games and apps, to engage young people in climate action and education.

3. Seek funding opportunities, such as the Smart Grant Program, for climate-related projects, and consider partnering with established organizations to increase your chances of securing funding.

4. Start small with climate-related initiatives, such as planting trees or establishing urban gardens, and gradually build up your efforts over time.

5. Advocate for the integration of climate and health policies, as well as the incorporation of climate resilience into the design of new infrastructure and healthcare facilities.

6. Promote the use of nature-based solutions, such as urban gardening and green spaces, to address various climate-related challenges, including mental health, food security, and water management.

7. Collaborate with others in your community, leveraging each other’s strengths and resources to amplify the impact of your climate-related initiatives.

At Shades of Us, one of our core objectives is to promote the learning, development, and capacity-building of young individuals so they can advocate for African development and growth. We believe that by providing relevant information and accessible resources, young people can play a crucial role in creating sustainable climate solutions for their communities and for Africa as a whole.

The Fireside Chat Panelists at the 2024 Future of Health Youth Pre-Conference