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A Comparative Analysis of Climate Change Resilience

Updated: 1 day ago

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) defines climate change as “a change of climate which is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere and which is in addition to natural climate variability observed over comparable time periods." The climate crisis is a crisis of humanity. It is by us, and in turn impacts us. The climate crisis doesn’t operate in silos, but rather in a cascade that has transformed into a web of disparities, injustices, and anxiety. The Stockholm Resilience Centre's framework of nine planetary boundaries reinforces this interconnection, demonstrating that environmental challenges cannot be addressed in isolation. Yet this crisis requires more than technological solutions or environmental policy. It demands an examination and assessment of our social and political frameworks and dynamics to build climate resilience. 


Let’s take an example of populist politics and its impact on Just Energy Transition Partnerships (JETP) in Indonesia. Populism is “an ideology that considers society to be ultimately separated into two homogeneous and antagonistic groups, ‘the pure people’ versus ‘the corrupt elite’, and which argues that politics should be an expression of the volonté générale (general will) of the people.” In 2022, Indonesia signed $20 billion transition initiative with the International Partners Group (IPG) led by the USA and Japan. This Initiative, a Comprehensive Investment and Policy Plan (CIPP), aims to reduce grid emissions and support green energy transition by mobilizing $20 billion in both public and private sources. Within Indonesia, the growing populist sentiment through the presidential campaign and political movement uses electoral politics and national identity to hinder the effectiveness of the CIPP. Such regimes try to centralize decision-making and marginalize civil society, technical experts, and journalists, undermining inclusive governance. This pattern is not unique to Indonesia. Populist leaders in Hungary, Turkey, and Myanmar have similarly weakened democratic institutions, silenced dissenting voices, and sidelined expert input in policy-making, thus jeopardizing climate resilience.


Yet despite populist resistance to climate action, economic realities create pressure for change. The stagnant wages, rising living costs, weaker consumption and declining productivity are putting pressure on Indonesia’s middle class. Populist campaign pledges and fiscal pressures may push the new administration to reform fuel subsidies, though it could be a politically unpopular decision. This creates a fundamental tension at the heart of energy transition policy. The major opposition to subsidy reforms was from Prabowo Subianto, Jokowi's competitor in the 2014 elections. His 'Red-White coalition' opposes the necessary fuel subsidy reforms with a misleading argument that subsidies protect the poor. Major subsidies like electricity and transport subsidies lack targeting, so they will cost more than required, reducing available resources for renewable energy investment. High fossil fuel subsidies and inconsistent government messaging and agendas also create investment uncertainty, hindering the eco-friendly markets and the growth of renewables. As a result, Indonesia's renewable energy sector faces mounting challenges


In 2023, renewable energy investment hit a 6-year low, and we are also aware of the fact that subsidized fossil fuels create unfair competition against renewable energy sources. Indonesia aims to break out of the middle-income trap ( the challenge many developing nations face) to achieve high-income status, potentially at the expense of environmental considerations. Meanwhile, there is a crucial need to break this paradox( a fundamental mismatch between populist promises and economic realities) as it is the key to lifting economic growth. Political leaders will avoid addressing these issues to maintain their grip on power. This leaves us, the 99 per cent of the people, in a tough situation to fight systemic biases against implementing politically costly, but necessary, energy transition measures. Such leaders value short-term electoral gains over long-term vision by taking immediate action on visible and quick benefits. This is a fact that the upfront costs of renewable energy are expensive, but the benefits are long-term and multigenerational.


Climate change is already forcing brutal adaptations among the world's most vulnerable workers. Let’s narrow this down to Indian sugar workers, especially women who are forced to leave their homes to work at a different location due to frequent droughts in the Beed district of Maharashtra, India. Many women work up to 16 hours a day in the sugar industry and are bound by informal contracts that incorporate financial losses for “missing” work. Many women remove their wombs via hysterectomy to avoid getting periods as a means to avoid missing any work. Such practices highlight a serious violation of United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5 on Gender Equality, which calls for the elimination of discrimination in all forms and the empowerment of women. Such individuals and communities mirror the cost of climate change. These women bear the physical, economic, and social burden of the climate crisis despite having contributed minimally to the emissions driving global warming. 

In these uncertain times, where we face crisis multipliers like climate change, populist narratives, geopolitical tensions, and misinformation — increasingly amplified by AI-generated content that spreads false narratives while consuming vast energy resources, sustainability and resilience can be powerful tools to fight back. Positive storytelling can catalyze climate action by motivating individuals through shared values and morals, through the build-up of people’s agency, and by amplifying the actions people take in communities. Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”


Current trends showcase an interesting aspect: relying on 'issue-specific tactics' is not working; we need to engage with cultural values, promote empathy for others, concern for future generations, and recognize the importance of relationships. This aligns with the fact that people are more likely to engage in pro-environmental behaviors if they are in line with their values. Communities need to induce action or participation and create incentive structures to change values, beliefs, social identification, efficacy beliefs, and thus, motivation for collective climate action and resilience. According to the Social Identity Model, individuals who identify with a group will align their actions to improve the well-being of that group. Personal and collective emotions and motivations can arise from critical assessments of environmental issues; thus, interventions to increase climate action should 'not only focus on personal benefits and costs, but should address the social [and cultural] self as well'. Meanwhile, in the face of escalating climate challenges, communities across the United Kingdom are emerging as unlikely heroes, transforming adversity into resilience and opportunity through grassroots innovation. 

One example of catalyzing grassroots engagement is in the town of Teeside, an urban area in northeast England. Once dominated by heavy industry, it witnessed the closure of its major heavy industries due to shifts in demand, national policies such as trade liberalisation, privatisation, and deindustrialisation, and economic chains, which left communities with elevated unemployment and long-term economic uncertainty. Yet, rather than succumb to despair, locals took collective action. The Middlesbrough Environment City project was born. With over £1.5 million in National Lottery funding for their Climate Action Middlesbrough initiative, the project operates in sustainable food systems, transport innovation, domestic energy efficiency, waste reduction, and natural environment restoration. It also runs innovative programs such as pop-up eco shops, which save tonnes of food from landfills while helping local families with affordable access to quality produce, wellbeing programs, and community services. Similarly, Daisy Chain's NeuThread project in Stockton-on-Tees is tackling fast fashion by repurposing textile donations into new clothing while providing skills development for people with autism and neurodevelopmental disabilities. The UK's community energy sector has been growing, where local communities are taking ownership of renewable energy projects. The energy is now "Community energy”, energy of resilience, as connection has fostered collective action by building relationships and a sense of care. Organisations like Energy4All are involved in multiple community energy co-operatives across the UK, where they generate clean energy with solar installations on community buildings, wind farms owned by residents, and channel money back into local areas. This creates a bubble of personal as well as community growth. Despite the potential, Community-owned renewable energy projects currently account for less than 1% of total renewable capacity in England–underscoring the potential runway these projects could have in the medium- and long-term.

One example of catalyzing grassroots engagement is in the town of Teeside, an urban area in northeast England. Once dominated by heavy industry, it witnessed the closure of its major heavy industries due to shifts in demand, national policies such as trade liberalization, privatization, and deindustrialization, and economic chains, which left communities with elevated unemployment and long-term economic uncertainty. Yet, rather than succumb to despair, locals took collective action. The Middlesbrough Environment City project was born. With over £1.5 million in National Lottery funding for their Climate Action Middlesbrough initiative, the project operates in sustainable food systems, transport innovation, domestic energy efficiency, waste reduction, and natural environment restoration. It also runs innovative programs such as pop-up eco shops, which save tons of food from landfills while helping local families with affordable access to quality produce, wellbeing programs, and community services. 


Similarly, Daisy Chain's NeuThread project in Stockton-on-Tees is tackling fast fashion by repurposing textile donations into new clothing while providing skills development for people with autism and neurodevelopmental disabilities. The UK's community energy sector has been growing, where local communities are taking ownership of renewable energy projects. The energy is now "Community energy”, energy of resilience, as connection has fostered collective action by building relationships and a sense of care. Organizations like Energy4All are involved in multiple community energy co-operatives across the UK, where they generate clean energy with solar installations on community buildings, wind farms owned by residents, and channel money back into local areas. This creates a bubble of personal as well as community growth. Despite the potential, Community-owned renewable energy projects currently account for less than 1% of total renewable capacity in England–underscoring the potential runway these projects could have in the medium- and long-term. 


The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) defines resilience as “[t]he capacity of social, economic and environmental systems to cope with a hazardous event, trend or disturbance, responding or re-organizing in ways that maintain systems’ essential function, identity, and structure while also maintaining the capacity for adaptation, learning and transformation.”


At its core, resilience comes from community and relationships. Communities connect with intimate local knowledge systems and craft resonant solutions. This agency and community ownership require support, cross-sector collaborations, and economic sustainability for scaling up. The climate resilience narrative extends far beyond this narrative, with communities worldwide facing unprecedented challenges that demand urgent attention and innovative solutions.


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About the Author:


Umar Shareef, from Jammu and Kashmir, is a Biotechnology student passionate about research, writing, and creating positive change. With six years of experience in community service, he has worked to improve literacy and numeracy in underserved areas. Umar is an eloquent public speaker and a reflective writer who seeks to make meaningful contributions to biotechnology and social development on a global scale.

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