Resources

Resources are anything that is useful and adds value to your life. Air, water, food, plants, animals, minerals, metals and everything else that exists in nature and benefits humankind is a resource.

The two categories of resources are natural resources and human-made resources. Natural resources do not need to be alive. For example, animals, plants, sunlight, wind, water and forests are natural resources, but so are rocks, stones and metals, all of which are non-living components of nature.

When humans use natural resources to make something new that provides a benefit and adds value to our lives, we call them human-made resources. For instance, when humans use metals, wood, sand and solar energy to make buildings, machinery, vehicles, bridges, roads, etc. they become human-made resources. Technology is also a human-made resource. We use technology to build bridges, vehicles and power lines and to create new packaging materials for farm produce, for example.

The story of climate change is, in many ways, a story about water, whether it is floods, droughts, rising sea levels or even wildfires. Investing in more efficient irrigation is crucial for our future, as agriculture accounts for 70 per cent of all global freshwater use. Both local and national governments are encouraged to develop holistic water management plans, known as integrated water resource management, that take into account the entire water cycle: from source to distribution, treatment, reuse and return to the environment.

More resilient crops are required to cope with changes in the climate. High temperatures can cut annual crop productivity, lead to droughts and cause more rainfall, all of which can lead to longer or shorter crop seasons. Farmers who grow crops on land that is vulnerable to the effects of climate change will need seeds that can withstand higher temperatures, fluctuating water supplies and fluctuating crop cycle times.

Local governments, with technological assistance from national research institutes, play an important role in helping farmers acquire better irrigation methods or water management practices, supplies of drought-tolerant seeds, and knowledge and information about the climate-responsive design of homes.

Support systems

Communities need local support systems to help them become resilient in the wake of climate change. In particular, they need these systems when they want to turn ideas into innovations. Any innovation is likely to be a challenge to implement if there are no support systems to aid in its development and formulation.

A relatively reliable Internet connection is a great asset in rural settings to help communities respond to climate change. For example:

• Information about climate resiliency can be shared easily with communities when computer literacy rates and Internet connectivity are good. Farm produce can be sold and marketed via the Internet, with suppliers and buyers able to interact without having to travel to discuss the prices of farms’ produce or supply of goods. This cuts down the time it takes for farm produce to reach buyers and wholesalers.
• Early warning systems that alert people to imminent heatwaves or storms, for example, are one of the most cost-effective ways to help people cope with severe weather events. It is estimated that the damage from severe weather can be reduced by 30 per cent when people have 24 hours’ warning to prepare. Early warning systems are generally provided by local government agencies with help from their national governments.

Adapted from United Nations. (2022, 15 October). Adapt and survive: 5 ways to help countries cope with the climate crisis. https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/10/1129532

Licence: Open access

Google’s Flood Hub alert system uses machine learning technology to warn people in harm’s way when rivers, oceans and lakes pose a threat to life or property. Flood Hub alerts include easy to understand inundation [areas prone to flooding] maps, with details of the at-risk area and flood heights relative to adult body height.

Google has been providing flood alerts since 2018. The early focus was on high-risk areas in Bangladesh and India. In 2021, the system sent out 115 million alerts in an area that’s home to 360 million people.

Source: Torkington, S. (2023, 1 February). Google Flood Hub. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/02/technology-climate-change-adaptation/

Licence: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public Licence

Membership in local non-profit organisations or state-run agencies or co-operatives will help local farmers to find information, technical know-how and perhaps some financial assistance to turn an idea into an innovation in response to climate change.

Assessment

Formative assessment 3: Individual activity

Make an appointment to see or speak to a government official to discuss the type of support and resources required to implement an idea before it can become an innovation. Take notes during your discussion or phone call.

Group activity

Watch the video Climate Smart Agriculture for Policy Makers, by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, with local government representatives. Use your observations from the video for the group activity below.

1. Identify a specific local issue or concern (use what you learned in Unit 1).
2. Think of a solution to the local issue (use what you learned in Unit 2 and Unit 3). Use the innovation categories to map out possible solutions, from ideas to innovation, and discuss your ideas with other course participants.
3. Identify resources and support systems to make the solution work and implementable (use what you learned in Unit 3).
4. Contact the local government representative you spoke with when you did your formative assessment and ask them for information and feedback about the ideas you discussed with your peers.