53
engineering, agriculture or food technology but
climate change is not included in these courses.
Education is the key to improve resilience to
climate change as well as the attainment of global
development goals, i.e. better-educated people
help to develop a clear understanding on how to
cope with and respond to changing climate conditions (Crossly and Sprague 2014). Climate
change is impacting youth and their communities, their enterprises and their overall well-being,
especially in locations exposed to storms, flooding, droughts and fires (ILO 2013).
Lack of Understanding of Climate
Change Concepts
Policymaker and senior official Y1 said that this
issue is compounded with a lack of knowledge of
the climate change science concepts and that
youth are not being prepared appropriately:
Youth are not prepared to choose appropriate
careers that allow them to work in CCA areas.
Careers programmes should be redesigned to
enable young people to explore career paths in
marine culture, aquaculture, sustainable fisheries,
sustainable agriculture practices and farming conservation practices.
This view is also highlighted by a young
woman from FGD X1, an unattached and
out-of- school youth from the rural community of
North Leeward, who stated:
I did not know anything about Climate Change
until I started a PADF (Pan American Development
Foundation) training course a few months ago. I
also know that most people in Chateaubelair community have never attended any training on
Climate Change. Their knowledge of Climate
Change will be nil. Numerous persons never heard
about climate change. Those who heard about it
think that it is something that is far away and
would not affect us in Chateaubelair. (Me nah
binno nottn bout climate change until me start de
PADF chanin ah few monts ago. Meno dat plente
peplo inah Chato nevo goah eney chanin pan climate change. Me sho dem nano notnu bout climate
change. Ah latta peplo neva hay bout climate
change. Dem peple way hay tink dat climate
change dah farfar ahwey an wud neva troblo we in
Chato).
Over 75% of the policymakers and senior officials said they are experiencing difficulties understanding the language and concepts associated
with climate science. The view of some policymakers and senior officials is that the lack of
comprehension of the climate change concepts
may be one of the fundamental challenges why
they are not eager to develop CCA programmes.
If the policymakers and senior officials with
responsibility for the development and implementation of climate change policies and the
mobilisation of financial and technical resources
to build the adaptive capacity of youth are experiencing difficulties understanding and applying
the concepts associated with climate science,
how can they be motivated to implement CCA
programmes?
Some policymakers and youth state that the
emphasis by the government is to respond to
disasters and calamities such as hurricanes,
storms and volcanic eruptions because these are
physical and quicker to react to than the slow
creeping erosion caused by SLR. Approximately
a third of policymakers and senior officials stated
that the government is responding to climate risk
disasters because it has the potential to generate
more political votes. Parliamentarians would be
visible when they go out into communities to
physically participate in handing out relief to
people who are affected by a disaster.
It has become clear that the government places
more interest in working on projects and programmes that would provide visibility for them
in the community such as implementing prestigious projects, e.g. the international airport and
North Windward and South Leeward highways.
Government is more interested in implementing
highly visible projects from a political perspective, i.e. projects that would translate into votes.
Change Enablers
Change enablers/drivers are divided into two categories, namely, change enablers that lead to
youth empowerment and change enablers/drivers
that lead to adaptation.
Summary of Analyses of the Top- Down and Bottom-Up Approaches from Data Collected…
engineering, agriculture or food technology but
climate change is not included in these courses.
Education is the key to improve resilience to
climate change as well as the attainment of global
development goals, i.e. better-educated people
help to develop a clear understanding on how to
cope with and respond to changing climate conditions (Crossly and Sprague 2014). Climate
change is impacting youth and their communities, their enterprises and their overall well-being,
especially in locations exposed to storms, flooding, droughts and fires (ILO 2013).
Lack of Understanding of Climate
Change Concepts
Policymaker and senior official Y1 said that this
issue is compounded with a lack of knowledge of
the climate change science concepts and that
youth are not being prepared appropriately:
Youth are not prepared to choose appropriate
careers that allow them to work in CCA areas.
Careers programmes should be redesigned to
enable young people to explore career paths in
marine culture, aquaculture, sustainable fisheries,
sustainable agriculture practices and farming conservation practices.
This view is also highlighted by a young
woman from FGD X1, an unattached and
out-of- school youth from the rural community of
North Leeward, who stated:
I did not know anything about Climate Change
until I started a PADF (Pan American Development
Foundation) training course a few months ago. I
also know that most people in Chateaubelair community have never attended any training on
Climate Change. Their knowledge of Climate
Change will be nil. Numerous persons never heard
about climate change. Those who heard about it
think that it is something that is far away and
would not affect us in Chateaubelair. (Me nah
binno nottn bout climate change until me start de
PADF chanin ah few monts ago. Meno dat plente
peplo inah Chato nevo goah eney chanin pan climate change. Me sho dem nano notnu bout climate
change. Ah latta peplo neva hay bout climate
change. Dem peple way hay tink dat climate
change dah farfar ahwey an wud neva troblo we in
Chato).
Over 75% of the policymakers and senior officials said they are experiencing difficulties understanding the language and concepts associated
with climate science. The view of some policymakers and senior officials is that the lack of
comprehension of the climate change concepts
may be one of the fundamental challenges why
they are not eager to develop CCA programmes.
If the policymakers and senior officials with
responsibility for the development and implementation of climate change policies and the
mobilisation of financial and technical resources
to build the adaptive capacity of youth are experiencing difficulties understanding and applying
the concepts associated with climate science,
how can they be motivated to implement CCA
programmes?
Some policymakers and youth state that the
emphasis by the government is to respond to
disasters and calamities such as hurricanes,
storms and volcanic eruptions because these are
physical and quicker to react to than the slow
creeping erosion caused by SLR. Approximately
a third of policymakers and senior officials stated
that the government is responding to climate risk
disasters because it has the potential to generate
more political votes. Parliamentarians would be
visible when they go out into communities to
physically participate in handing out relief to
people who are affected by a disaster.
It has become clear that the government places
more interest in working on projects and programmes that would provide visibility for them
in the community such as implementing prestigious projects, e.g. the international airport and
North Windward and South Leeward highways.
Government is more interested in implementing
highly visible projects from a political perspective, i.e. projects that would translate into votes.
Change Enablers
Change enablers/drivers are divided into two categories, namely, change enablers that lead to
youth empowerment and change enablers/drivers
that lead to adaptation.
Summary of Analyses of the Top- Down and Bottom-Up Approaches from Data Collected…