Odisha: A Youth Manifesto on Climate Change Pushes Political Parties to Take a Stance

All of us have heard about political manifestos in election times. But here is one manifesto with a difference -- it concerns a moral issue that affects human beings and living creatures alike -- the terrible impact of climate change.

Water Initiatives, with a Youth Manifesto, is virtually pushing political parties in Odisha to take a stance on climate change amid the high-voltage election campaign that has little to do with nature and the turmoil it is facing.

The manifesto, based on interviews and focus-group discussions involving 100 youths from Odisha coasts, especially from villages that are facing the wrath of an invading sea, and expert inputs, has thrown up serious issues that are likely to become a moral baggage for political leaders, a majority of whom barely realise the gravity of the issue.

The ‘unique manifesto’ has emerged due to initiatives of Water Initiative in Odisha, which is focusing on one thing -- the survival of humans against climate change impacts that have started ripping through all safe horizons.

And today’s major sufferers are the youth.

The system must spare some thought toward the well-being of youths, and many others, who singe under the adverse impact of climate extremes originating from the sea and the land. This is what Ranjan Panda, the founder of Water Initiatives, has pleaded through this ‘unique manifesto’.  

Panda has urged those in the seats of power to pay special attention to rehabilitation of people displaced by climate change.   

All climate displacement cases are involuntary and must be treated with urgency and due compassion, says Panda. 

“Normally youths are the first to migrate due to extreme climate impact; should be provided with adequate employment opportunities with their right to life and education protected,” highlights the Water Initiative manifesto.     

The 23-point Youth Manifesto calls for ‘rehabilitation with dignity’ and ‘ecosystem restoration’ among other things. It urges political parties to support a “Strategy for Inclusive Rehabilitation of Climate Displaced Communities,” that has already been suggested to the state government by Water Initiatives and its partner organisations.

 “This manifesto was prepared based on interviews and focus-group discussions involving 100 youths from Odisha coasts, especially from villages that are facing the wrath of an invading sea, conducted by our volunteers, it was then supported by inputs from experts.  Our experience of working with such villages for the last more than three decades also helped strengthen this Manifesto,” Panda, convenor of Water Initiatives and co-founder – cum – mentor of the ‘Youth4Water’ campaign, said at an event.

“Odisha is one of the highly vulnerable geographies in the world when it comes to climate change impacts, and sea-level rise and related impacts could displace thousands of people from more than 300 villages.  While many villages are already submerged under the sea, many more are on the verge of being taken over,” he said.

Panda said that a strategy to deal with such a situation had become essential. 

“With this manifesto, we urge upon each political party to support a ‘Strategy for Inclusive Rehabilitation of Climate Displaced Communities,’ that we have already suggested to the state government,” he said, adding that the manifesto has relevance for the entire country.

“Besides covering a host of suggested initiatives that can help vulnerable youths get their rightful support from the system, this manifesto also covers provisioning of ‘Water, Sanitation and Hygiene’ for both the people who choose to stay and the ones who choose to move,” Bikash Pati, technical specialist – water, at the WaterAid India, who was also involved in guiding the survey, said.

“The youths who were covered under this survey have demanded several layers of protection, including employment guarantee with dignified income, health insurance, right to education, and so on and so forth.  We are sure the political parties will support this manifesto as ‘climate displacement & migration’ have already become a huge area of concern for policy makers; and Odisha is a hotspot in this regard,” added Pati.

Dhaneswar Mallick of the Astaranga area, a youth actively involved in this survey, demanded safe drinking water, safety for girls who are migrating out, involvement of youths in all the eco-restoration initiatives and provisioning of local employment opportunities for youths who don’t want to move out of their native areas.

For Manjulata Swain from Satabhaya area, another youth involved in the survey, safety of girls and equal wage opportunity for them must be the priority of all political parties contesting the elections.  She emphasised the inhuman condition of transport modes that carry migrant workers and suggested better and dignified ways of transport.

“All the 23 points put together in this Youth Manifesto point to a positive transformation in policy-making and plan-designing to help people displaced by climate change, and the ones who have to resort to further distressed migration.  If the political parties support this manifesto, they can actually help the state, and eventually the nation, build climate resilience,” added Pati. 

Panda said they were also proposing local climate resilience building in an ecosystem-based approach and adhering to a ‘commons policy’ that takes care of conservation of all local common property resources – like freshwater ecosystems, marine ecosystems, coastal forests, sand dunes etc – so that people who prefer to stay in their respective areas can be assured of local protection from climate change impacts.

Wider Impact on Odisha

“The state’s fluctuating weather conditions suggest that it is reeling under climatic chaos” Hareksrishna Satpathy, an observer of the impact of climate change, pointed out.

It is known that climate change, through its adverse effects on agriculture, industry, mining, forestry, water resources and human health, has disturbed the social and economic livelihood patterns of people, and has hindered proper growth strategies of the state.  

“It was assessed that the disasters like the Super Cyclone of 1999 and the subsequent oceanic invasions have taken the state’s economy back to 20 years” said Satpathy, adding that, “these issues have the potential to derail the growth strategy and deepen poverty in the State”. 

He said it was imperative that private sector units, civil societies and government should work together to improve environmental performance while pursuing goals of sustainable economic development in Odisha.

In this regard a manifesto on climate change can very well act as a moral channel for the leaders, he added.

Odisha has a long coastline of 482 km, thus making the state as one of the most vulnerable ones in the country.

Its socio-economic condition is already under the pressure due to industrialisation and economic developments often disproportionate to the holistic needs for the growing population.

Time has come to wakes up to the urgencies for a course correction.

The writer is a freelance journalist based in Odisha.