Children and Climate Change in Mongolia: Children’s Increasing Vulnerability and their Capacity as Agents for Community Based Adaptation Preslava Nenova-Knight Global climate change is already affecting Mongolia. It is putting poor and vulnerable children and their parents at risk of losing their lives and livelihoods in the short run and becoming increasingly vulnerable to detrimental changes in the long run. Predicted effects include the increased frequency of extreme weather and environmental hazards, such as flash floods, droughts, snow and dust storms as well as gradual unfavourable changes in precipitation patterns, the shifting in ecological zones and desertification. Climate change is not a process that is occurring in isolation, it will impact all processes and developments in Mongolia, but most importantly the ways in which children and their parents are able to access nutritious food, safe water and sustain their livelihoods in a safe environment. Therefore, climate change need not be addressed by separate interventions, rather its impacts on core development priorities must be continuously assessed and such assessment integrated into the design, monitoring and evaluation of programmes and policies. A large portion of Mongolia’s population, and mostly children, are vulnerable to extreme weather events, the frequency and severity of which is predicted to increase with climate change. In this sense the reduction of child vulnerability and the strengthening of Disaster Risk Reduction policies in Mongolia can be seen as key elements of adaptation to climate change in the country. Where the full extent of localised impacts is not known with certainty, building resilience at the household and community, local and national levels must remain urgent priorities. The capacity of local and national institutions to adjust, modify or change their practices so as to provide an enabling environment for sustainable livelihoods in a changing climate should also be built upon. This paper outlines the most pressing issues concerning children and climate change in Mongolia and presents examples of children’s capacity as agents for community based climate change adaptation, before outlining recommendations on priority actions to strengthen climate resilience at all levels with a focus on vulnerable children. 1 Risks to Children in Mongolia posed by Climate Change Decreased Access to Food. The more frequent occurrence of livelihood shocks and increasingly uncertain availability of natural resources to sustain pastoral livelihoods will mean that food insecurity among vulnerable children and parents will increase with the following implications for children: - Infectious diseases become more prevalent and more likely to lead to infant mortality as lowered immunity among children results from increasing food and micronutrient shortages. - Children become stunted or have poor brain and physical development due to malnutrition. Children under five years old are particularly vulnerable to the effects of malnutrition since they are in a vital stage of development and lack of nutrients affects their lives and capacity in the long term. The level of food insecurity is high amongst children in Mongolia. Seasonal food insecurity will be severely exacerbated by increasingly adverse weather and climate patterns caused by climate change. In the rural calendar early spring is when food is most scarce. Climate change is predicted to exacerbate this as conditions leading up to spring will be harsher for livestock and the onset of spring will become delayed. More frequent dzuds caused by climate change will lead to the increased deaths of livestock, creating severe food shortages in spring. Dzud: A Mongolian word for mass mortality of livestock resulting from a sequence of or single occurrences of weather and environmental extremes There is a strong relationship between food insecurity and the shocks and stresses caused by climate change. This highlights the need to address the underlying causes of lack of access to food, whilst considering how these causes will be affected by climate change. Food insecurity is a key cause of vulnerability to climate change and disasters. Isolation. Isolation in remote areas will increase due to the lack of road access as snow blizzards, snow cover and dangerous icing are expected to become more frequent. In the winter of the 2010, 12,500 people were left stranded in remote areas of which almost 5,000 were children, elderly people, disabled people and pregnant women (UNDP 2010). These people were left with no access to fuel supplies, medical services, medicines and facilities. For children this means: - Infants are delivered under unsafe conditions increasing the risks of disability, death and maternal complications, as families are more likely to be cut off from healthcare facilities, and increased stress will be placed on hospital fuel reserves and infrastructure. - Infants may die due to an increased prevalence and fatality of pneumonia, Acute Respiratory Infections and other infectious diseases without access to medical treatment. Disasters. The occurrence of dzud and other climate-related disasters will become more frequent with climate change, affecting child vulnerability in the following ways: - Children increasingly become engaged in risky household coping strategies such as livestock herding during snow blizzards. - Children cannot be protected and cared for properly when their parents are under extreme stress, and they become vulnerable to a range of other hazards in the home and outdoors. There is evidence to show that parental stress following a disaster increases child neglect and thus vulnerability to injury and sickness. - Children often become psychologically traumatised. Psychological stress, resulting in psychosocial trauma, makes it more difficult for these children to enter into education. A recent study by UNICEF revealed that 47 percent of children in areas affected by dzud revealed signs of psychological stress characterized by expressions of disappointment, loss of self-confidence, nervousness and insomnia. 2 - More children will drop out of school and some children may be coerced into or enter child labour out of necessity in the aftermath of a dzud. Boys are particularly vulnerable and a particularly hazardous form of child labour is informal mining. Water Scarcity. An increased prevalence of droughts and a decrease in the availability of ground and open water sources will lead to: - Increased risks to children’s health from water borne infectious diseases. - Deaths of livestock and food insecurity for children that are part of pastoralist families. Children’s Roles in an Adaptable Society and Evidence of Children’s Capacity to Contribute to the Resilience of Mongolian Households and Communities Children’s capacity to contribute to the resilience of households and communities has become evident in a range of countries adapting to the negative effects of a changing climate. In Mongolia children are major contributors to household subsistence and livelihood activities. They have an excellent knowledge of their environment and a strong sense of responsibility and duty to their parents. They play an important role in their household’s preparation for adverse and hazardous conditions and in coping strategies during a disaster. Their practical skills and knowledge in doing so can and should be considered as a starting point for further adaptive capacity building efforts by UNICEF and other stakeholders. Children have a right to genuine participation in climate change adaptation efforts. Participatory Learning and Action tools and techniques can be used effectively to empower children to share ideas, learn from each other’s experiences, form and express views and put them into action. This is particularly important in assessing their own levels of climate risk, vulnerability and capacity, mapping hazards in their environment and making their voice heard in policy dialogue on adaptation to climate change. In Tsetserleg, Arkhangai, groups of children used pictorial diagrams to represent the necessities for preparing a Mongolian child for a climatic hazard. Without prompting children demonstrated excellent awareness of the practicalities of preparedness and the importance of early warning. Children compiled exhaustive lists during inclusive discussions with their peers. Items included: Mobile phone to receive early warning messages or to alert emergency services of hazard; map to identify the location of the hazard and orient themselves to safety spots, medical assistance and other human capital, including numbers of people required to help with laborious tasks was also identified as essential in preparedness. This exercise demonstrated the children’s ability to think laterally, comprehensively and creatively about risk reduction. Children can play an important role in identifying risky environments and environmental problems as part of participatory adaptation planning. Children in Mongolia have a detailed knowledge of their physical environment. The participatory activities described below are examples of children’s ability to communicate this knowledge and use it as a basis for action and positive change. A tool used effectively for enabling Participatory Learning and Action with children was child community and hazards mapping. 3 “…In springtime, rocks roll down onto the playground… One of my friends was injured by a rock… We want to have a playground where we can spend our free time… This playground is dangerous and not in a good place…” Boy, 11 years old, Chingeltei, Ulaanbaatar. Children in peri-urban Ulaanbaatar, an area identified as particularly vulnerable to climate hazards and food insecurity, were randomly selected from the streets of poorest area and actively participated in producing detailed maps of their community and locating hazardous areas and areas affected by climate change. All of the children depicted areas which flood during spring and summer flash floods. During the activity and without prompting, children expressed requests and recommendations on actions they wanted taken to improve their living environment and safety in specific problem areas identified on their maps of Chingeltei. They noted that the playground they had depicted was presently inaccessible and they wished it to be relocated as they have nowhere to meet and play. They also pointed out that this playground and other areas children played at were located at a dangerous site where rocks were prone to roll down in springtime. “…Strong winds destroy the fences around our ger, letting stray dogs wonder into our yard… big floods happen in this area and I have seen a ger floating on the flood water…” Boy, 10 years old, Chingeltei, Ulaanbaatar. Children pointing out hazards during a walk in their neighbourhood in peri-urban Ulaanbaatar Continuing over-crowding of urban areas due to climate change stresses in rural Mongolia will worsen living conditions for peri-urban children unless adaptation actions are taken with urgency. The lack of safety in the environment, the wide range and magnitude of the risks the children are exposed to and the severe lack of suitable space for children to play or spend leisure time all make a striking impression in peri-urban Ulaanbaatar. In Mongolia, children are often the main actors in household coping strategies during disaster or during periods of hardship. It is important to distinguish between coping measures and household adaptive capacity. The involvement of children in emergency coping strategies is more likely to increase their vulnerability rather than be indicative of their heightened capacity as agents for climate change adaptation. A ger is a traditional Mongolian mobile dwelling, with a wooden frame and felt insulation walls, used by pastoralists and settlers on the periphery of cities who have lost or abandoned pastoralist livelihoods. Learning and adapting: Children have a greater capacity to learn and adapt to new things. In the context of climate change, children are therefore well placed to drive forward shifts in behaviour which enable climate resilient development. Children holding up a map they have drawn of their living area, including sites affected by climatic hazards 4 Children taking part in a focus group discussions and participatory exercises “…At school rural children worry a lot about their families back home when a dzud strikes. Many children need to take days off school to travel back to the family camp in order to assist with care of the livestock. One boy from my school lost his life while herding livestock in a winter blizzard when he was 15. His parents informed the teacher, who then informed my class.” Girl, 16 years old, Khotont soum, Arkhangai. There is a lack of adaptive capacity at the household level, which means households are unable to prepare for, anticipate or react to a hazard with flexibility using physical, social or adult human capital. This means children are more likely to become involved in emergency coping strategies which typically increase their vulnerability. “…Rural children are more at risk to disaster than urban children because rural children herd cattle. Many people live in very remote areas and have no transport apart from horses meaning they have no quick way to access hospitals in an emergency.” Excerpts from group discussions with adolescent schoolchildren in Tsetserleg, Arkhangai. Girl, 15 years old, milking her family’s yak. In the remote pasture camp, she and her sister are responsible for the livestock and their young brother, as their parents are away for two days. Children’s practical contributions to skills and knowledge mean they should be included in practical adaptation solutions and decision making. 5 The terms “adaptation” and “coping” are sometimes used interchangeably, leading to confusion about the similarities and differences between these two important concepts. Coping Adaptation Short-term and immediate Oriented towards longer term livelihoods security Oriented towards survival Not continuous Motivated by crisis, reactive Often degrades resource base Prompted by a lack of alternatives A continuous process Results are sustained Uses resources efficiently and sustainably Involves planning Combines old and new strategies and knowledge Focused on finding alternatives Implications for Children in Mongolia Implications for Children in Mongolia Children drop out of school in order to assist with household coping strategies. Children have a chance at involvement in planning for their future and in becoming agents for change. Children are coerced into hard labour as a livelihood coping strategy, lose their right to leisure time and become exposed to a hazardous or unhealthy work environment. Children are exposed to hazardous conditions in order to secure household livestock survival. There have been recorded cases of children perishing while herding livestock during extreme climatic conditions. Emergency coping strategies include tying of children to furniture in order to restrain their movement as a substitute for child care, ensuring children do not burn themselves on the stove or stray outdoors while parents are busy with labour during a disaster. “In the last winter of dzud I took turns to herd our livestock...around 40 animals. I need to dig the snow to assist the livestock to access the grass, sometimes by hand. When there is a snow blizzard I can’t see my way and I’m Livelihood and food security for children are integrated into adaptation planning in a sustainable way. Emphasis on future sustainability allows for inter-generational equity. Continuous participatory learning and action for adaptation can ensure that parents and children can take stock of new and innovative strategies in building their resilience to climatic hazards and adapting to a changed environment. Longer term nature of adaptation ensures capacities of children, parents and communities are built over time catering for social and cultural specificities of remote, isolated or excluded children and adults. afraid of getting lost. I’m also afraid of wolves. My cheeks and ears freeze and I get frostbite… this makes my ears very painful by the evening and liquid comes from my ears.” Girl, 16 years old, Khashaat soum, Arkhangai. 6 The adaptive capacity of local and national institutions, communities and households is vital in the success of adaptation efforts. This includes the acknowledgement at community level of the contributions children make, for instance to household and community resilience, and of what they are capable of so that adults and children together can respect, protect and realise child agency for adaptive livelihoods. “…If a family has no way of receiving weather forecast information, they can be affected by a disaster. Rural children have less access to weather warnings. Disasters may cause parents' care for children to weaken.” “…Young children don’t have knowledge about just how dangerous extreme weather conditions can be. If they do not have proper care then they are more exposed to the dangers.” Excerpts from group discussions with adolescent schoolchildren in Tsetserleg, Arkhangai. 3. Climate-proofed and retrofitted schools, dormitories, hospitals, play areas, wells and infrastructure. This is an urgent priority in Mongolia. Dilapidated infrastructure needs to be rehabilitated and adapted to an increasingly severe and changing climate. Incorporation of climate-proofing principles into legally-binding building codes may be an effective way to ensure this practice is sustained. 4. Ensuring genuine participation of children in climate change adaptation efforts. Important activities should include supporting the creation of participatory contingency plans with children in schools and dormitories and encouraging children to monitor their own levels of risk. The participation of children who are typically excluded from conversations in wider society should also be a focus. 5. Mainstreaming of climate change into key policy documents relating to children. Ensure that major national strategy and policy documents relating to children include an assessment of climate change risks to priorities they set out, explicitly address climate change and have been reviewed for climate sensitivity and resilience. 6. Education for children in remote areas. Continue the support to mobile education programmes to ensure the access to information and the socialisation of children in remote areas enabling them to express opinions and views and to associate act on adaptation to climate change. Urgent Action for Child- Centered Climate Change Adaptation in Mongolia The following are ways in which UNICEF, partner institutions and the Government of Mongolia can cooperate to reduce the vulnerability and enhance the adaptive capacity of the poorest and most vulnerable children and their families: Where the impacts of climate change remain uncertain, measures that reduce communities’ underlying vulnerability to any shocks and trends will be needed, such as: a focus on children’s rights, empowering poor or marginalised children and communities to be involved in decision making, provision of services and resources for health and education. 1. Ensuring a coordinated effort for national disaster preparedness and DRR. Further support for the Government and NEMA in the co-ordination and management of national disaster preparedness programming, including strengthening of early warning systems and ensuring child participation in the design and implementation of local level DRR. 2. Addressing access to food and proper nutrition. Interventions can include livelihood diversification assistance, vocational skills training and awareness raising on proper nutrition for growing children and pregnant women. 7 Adaptation to climate change should also be mainstreamed in the following objectives which are already priorities of the Government of Mongolia:  Support to programmes that improve access to safe water and sanitation. Priority areas are rural and peri-urban settlements. Linking MNET, the Water Authority, and other partners, targeted efforts could ensure that adequate budget allocations and resources are made to increase investments in the water sector, with focus on peri-urban supply as well as reaching remote off-grid population centres. Initiatives could also engage relevant authorities in drafting and strengthening action plans under the new Integrated Water Resources Management Plan (national level) and Integrated Urban Water Management Plan (Orkhon-Tuul river basin level), helping to ensure that stakeholders are engaged and that hospitals, schools and domestic use are prioritized in water sector plans. UNICEF will help identify urban communities who are and will be most affected by shortages in water supply, and propose short, medium and longterm solutions to help ensure that essential needs are met.  Providing sustainable solutions for heating energy. Increasing frequency of dzuds due to climate change will lead to increased pressure on fuel supplies for households. This may lead to an increase in the use of low quality solid fuels which have been shown to be one of the leading causes of morbidity among children in Mongolia when used indoors for heating and cooking. Sustainable solutions to this problem should focus on reduced fuel and energy expenditure by poor households and on healthier solutions for domestic heating and cooking fuel and electricity supply. Such solutions would be in line with Mongolia’s National Renewable Energy Programme and work with the Government should ensure that schools and hospitals are priority targets. The Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves may also be a source of lessons of good practice and possible partnerships for similar initiatives in Mongolia.  Strengthening the role of local institutions and Government in the provision of public goods and services and the role of Government in regulating market outcomes for subsistence pastoralists. These should include the identification of roles for local and central government and priority areas include the supply of emergency and seasonal fodder stocks, and measures improving rapid destocking capacity through market based solutions. Photographs by: Preslava Nenova-Knight 8