7 Tips for Proposals on Climate Change

We have compiled a list of 7 Tips for Proposals on Climate Change to promote the protection of the Environment.

As issues related to climate change and global warming start to occupy large spaces on our tables, it is high time that we also make preparations to address them in a holistic manner. Many NGOs are not yet ready to equip themselves with information on climate change either because they still believe it is too scientific or because it can easily divert their current work strategies. While it is important to remain focused on issues of interest, it is also necessary to keep our eyes and ears open to the world.

Projects on climate change are the next big thing for NGOs (like it was used for HIV and AIDS some years ago). Donors continue to look at NGOs as the strongest mediums to reach out to communities in developing countries. Nevertheless, climate change is a critical issue and all organizations should start considering it as an issue of the highest relevance and work in its direction either in a full-fledged manner or as a cross-cutting theme in their other projects.

In recent times, we have all observed a high number of calls for proposals advertised by donors concentrating mostly on addressing climate change and global warming.

Considering the challenges that NGOs may face in developing proposals to address these issues, we are presenting 7 tips on how to write them effectively.

Project Rationale

It is important to justify the importance of implementing or proposing a project to address climate change and global warming in the most convincing manner; therefore, the project rationale should be an analysis of the problem related to climate change in our area.

For example, we may be working in an area with 70% forest cover but recently, due to continuous deforestation activity, we have observed a change in the weather. This may have also caused soil degradation and droughts in the area nearby. If this situation has been observed, it is important to carry out quick research through interaction with the stakeholders: the community, village councils, CBOs, governmental agencies, the private sector, and other NGOs working in the area. If the problem has been discussed with them, it is also possible to arrive at a solution like planting extra trees. This should be carefully documented in the project rationale of the proposal backed up by evidence.

While community interviews can be quoted, it would also help if we use some relevant research-based data on the issue we write about. There may be forest research reports that carry statistical data on the number of trees reduced in the project area. There could also be meteorological data informing us about the changes in the weather. These sources will help us make the proposal more convincing.

Cause and Effect Relationship

In defining the problem, it is important that we are clear about the cause we are trying to address. Sometimes, causes and effects can become very confusing. We may just end up addressing the effects while the cause continues to remain the same. For example, deforestation can lead to loss of livelihood due to land degradation. But here it is not just enough to address livelihoods by introducing new sources of income. The actual cause of the problem is climate change. Therefore, it is necessary for us to delve deeply into the problem and reach a cause that can be practically addressed.

Another good example of an NGO-led project against climate change can be advocacy at the micro and macro levels. We can propose a project to raise awareness of global warming among communities by organizing media campaigns, awareness workshops, and other means of information dissemination. Here the problem or the rationale can be that the high level of human activity such as farming, irrigation, electricity consumption, etc is leading to some changes in the weather. Sensitizing government officials and private agencies on climate change is also a relevant area of intervention.

Defining the Project Goal and Objectives

Once we have the project goal and objectives at hand, we need to define our project goal and objectives. What are we trying to achieve? The goal can be reducing the impact of climate change since any goal is just a contribution of the implementing agency to something that is also targeted by other entities such as the government or other agencies. Objectives need to be specific.

E.g; increasing plantation in the project area or enhancing the understanding of climate change issues.

As usual, objectives have to be “SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound.”

Remember not to confuse objectives with activities.

Strategies and Actions

We have the problem, we have the goal, we have the objectives and we also know the solution. But what about the approach to merging all of these? A strategy will build up a plan for the activities that need to be done to achieve the objectives. It can be building the capacities of the community in planting trees and maintaining forest cover to maximize their livelihood generation or it could be raising awareness on global warming. In this context, activities can be organizing training, education classes, awareness workshops, meetings, and other dissemination activities.

Results

Activities can lead to results – both expected and unexpected. Nevertheless, we need to list them out as clearly as possible in a proposal. We expect a positive impact on the community through our actions. In this case, it could be a drastic increase in forest cover, improvement in water levels, better generation of agricultural crops, improvement in livestock, and better food security for the people. But negatively speaking, there may be also unavoidable risks such as natural disasters. These need to be mentioned in the proposals in a clear manner.

Sustainability

Besides the impact, it is also necessary to ensure sustainability and all donors seek sustainability plans for the projects funded. Sustainability is all about project activities continuing even after the end of the support. This involves a whole lot of concepts from community empowerment to ownership to institutional building and management. Proposals need to lay out this plan carefully. Community-based organizations or CBOs are one of the best means for creating sustainability of the intervention.

Gender and Climate Change

As climate change gains more and more importance, we cannot forget to integrate gender into our approaches to address it. Earlier, it was believed that climate impact impacts equally on women and men. However, there have been some studies that have pointed out that this is not true.

Women representing the marginalized sections of society suffer to a higher degree from the consequences of climate change. In male-dominated societies, women have little access to information; therefore, they may not be aware of the impact of their activities on the climate despite possessing responsive behavior. In male-migrated areas, women carry out traditional farming and firewood collection. They may suddenly reach a point in time where they may face problems of land degradation and scarcity of forests.

Gender-sensitive strategies have to be outlined during the planning and implementation of the projects. Women should be counted upon during all processes of the project. Focusing our empowerment approaches on women can help bring about results. Women activists can become strong forces to address the issues and save their livelihoods.