TED Talks Daily - The intersection of war and climate change | Victor Ochen

Episode Date: August 15, 2024

Conflict is the biggest barrier to tackling climate change, says youth advocate Victor Ochen. Having seen firsthand how war undermined Uganda's economic and environmental potential, he explains the need to address the shared root causes of conflict and climate issues — starting by empowering African youth.

TED Audio Collective. You're listening to TED Talks Daily, where we bring you new ideas to spark your curiosity every day. I'm your host, Elise Hu. The transition to clean energy has to happen, but it comes with a cost in certain parts of the world where minerals needed for renewables are sometimes

violently fought over. Ugandan peace and reconciliation advocate Victor Ochin reminds us of this reality and the need to remember the global south as we confront our climate future. After a short break. Support for this show comes from Airbnb. If you know me, you know I love staying in Airbnbs when I travel. They make my family feel most at home when we're away from home. As we settled down at our Airbnb during a recent vacation to Palm Springs, I pictured my own home sitting empty.

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And now, our TED Talk of the day. The world today, it's no longer news that we are grappling with the devastating effects of climate change. Communities are searching for solutions, trying to turn the tide onto the future. That at times really looks so depressing. And there is no place this is more real than in the continent of Africa. But of course, conversations about climate change often miss out on accounting for the most critical barrier to climate solution, which is conflict. I got to know about this through my personal experience as a survivor of war, but also working with a population that has been living through conflicts for years. If you may, I would love to share with you a story based on my personal encounter with the communities that I work with and who are going through the difficult times of climate change.

I'm from Uganda. Recently, in my home district of Lira, a woman was arrested because she had cut the sheer trees and burnt the charcoal into fuel. And it's a crime in Uganda. I saw her being walked to the police station, and I decided to ask her, I said, My sister, I see you are being taken and you will be charged for this crime, but I have a question for you.

If you were forgiven for this crime today, do you promise that you'll never do it again? The frustrated woman looked at me and told me and said, you know what? Even if they release me right now, I will do it again. I will do it again because only through burning charcoal that I can raise money to pay for my children's education. And it's only through burning charcoal that I can raise money to meet the medical bills for my children who are always falling sick of malaria. So the truth is, I will do it again. This is the story for many in Uganda, a beautiful country with so much potential,

but always undermined by a near constant state of violent conflict. And you know, in a community where poverty and unemployment is so high, fight against climate change is almost a losing battle. But when you look through across Africa, you find that most of the countries most vulnerable to climate crisis are going through some sort of conflict. When you look through Sahel region, you find there's always constant attack,

classes between the herding, the farming and the fishing communities over diminishing land and water resources. Of course, with not so much option, humanity will always do anything possible for survival. I remember this firsthand when I was growing up as a child in a war zone in northern Uganda. I myself had to cut the trees, to burn charcoal, to raise money, to meet the basic needs, but most importantly, pay for my education.

An education that has enabled me to be able to stand before you to give this speech today. Now the big question is, how can we make it? What can we do to create an alternative to environmental destruction and provide economic means that will support conditions necessary for peace? That's the biggest question we should be asking ourselves today. I remember, I think about this a lot through my work at African Youth Initiative Network, INET, where for decades we have been supporting war survivors from Uganda, from Congo, from Sudan and South Sudan,

and we have been able to mobilize young people to make them game changers for peace and development. We mediate in community conflict and supported agricultural activities as a mechanism to provide youth economic alternatives to violence, and we have been successful. So the success of this work we have done is a clear manifestation of how a local initiative can greatly impact on economic empowerment, on conflict resolution and on climate change. And every time I think about this, I do believe this is an opportunity for Africa to also impact on the world peace. And I sincerely know for sure that for us to achieve this goal, the following three points have always come very strongly in my heart. And first is, we need to change the way we're talking about climate change. It is time that we take the

climate dialogue beyond just mere weather patterns and allow people to understand what they are fighting for, who they are protecting, what will they win or lose based on their actions or inactions. This has always helped us. I remember early last year, I went to my village with my twin brother Jack. We were welcomed by one of the community elders, Charles.

He was so happy to see us, to welcome us home, and he was sad that he couldn't give us some sugar cane, which used to be his traditional gift to us, simply because the wetland that used to grow sugar cane had dried up. And he was really sad about it. My twin brother comforted him and told him, whether it's changing, what I would encourage is, let community do our part by planting trees so that we can attract more rain.

When he heard this, he asked my brother, said, Mr. Opio, are you saying, as you are saying, trees is good to bring rain? Now that you have planted so many trees in your community, is it raining in your garden? To me, this was sincerely the most basic, important, organic question that could come from this community. But also it made me reflect if at all our global discussions about climate change is actually responding to the needs at the grassroots.

So today, in northern Uganda, shared trees are no longer producing enough fruits because there's local knowledge that shared trees do need bush burning in order to stimulate flowering. But also we know bush burning is bad for environment, creating a lot of confusion. And this brings in the issue that contradicts our account from experts, from activists, from the government, which leaves the local communities as collateral victims of global disagreements. And this has kept every one of us in the merry-go-round of climate confusion. And now, back to the episode. Creating a lot of confusion. Secondly, we need to engage the population that is most affected,

in this case, the young people, the youth. With 70% of Africa below the age of 30, youth represent the largest demographic opportunity for the continent. We have to engage, including youth, would be an opportunity to uplift the continent from the devastating poverty. And excluding young people in all the climate activities will benefit conflict. So we must engage young people.

This is because we do know youth are the legitimate owners of the future, so their inclusion is mandatory. And finally, as we seek to mitigate the effects of climate change and conflict, it is time to hold corporations, governments and individuals accountable for committing climate crimes, home and abroad. This should be done by establishing international climate courts. Today, the world is celebrating the transition to clean energy. We are celebrating the progress, but we cannot celebrate the transition to clean energy

while being silent about the death and suffering of millions of people. In Democratic Republic of Congo, for instance, populations have been displaced, millions have been killed, lost properties, just because companies or corporations are exploiting their natural resources. And we have seen also rebel groups fighting to take on the fertile lands, lands rich with minerals, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The truth is, the suffering, the death, the inhumanity we have seen in Congo is a proof that the road to clean energy

is so far the dirtiest road on the planet. Of course, I'm also worried. I'm worried that the climate crisis will leave the world more divided, especially between the global north and the global south. I'm also worried that the rich and the poor will be divided, the rural and urban. Why? Because 10% of the world's wealthiest are discussing on reduction of global emissions by flying less. And yet, greater, poorer majority are dreaming for only one-time opportunity to fly. And to them, all these climate regulations being proposed appears as an effort to reinforce

the pre-existing inequality, which has always been meant to keep them poor. This is going to create the division. Lastly, there is an African proverb by legendary South African musician, Lucky Dube, who sang the song that says, the night is long for an angry child. The night is long for an angry child. What an image. That child could have been your child. Think about that mom, that dad who are powerlessly waiting for the morning to try to get something for the child who can't sleep

because he went to bed with an empty stomach. If we have opportunity, we should have leadership that are willing to create conditions that will help build the community, the tomorrow that our children can count on. And lastly, may we realize that the birth of a new era would mean we must all understand that climate change and war are intertwined global long-term challenges. It will require all of us to work together and most importantly, mobilize a generation

that is so willing to defy violence and work for the good of all of us. Apoye Matek, thank you very much. Support for this show comes from Airbnb. If you know me, you know I love staying in Airbnbs when I travel. They make my family feel most at home when we're away from home. As we settled down at our Airbnb during a recent vacation to Palm Springs, I pictured my own home sitting empty.

Wouldn't it be smart and better put to use welcoming a family like mine by hosting it on Airbnb? It feels like the practical thing to do, and with the extra income, I could save up for renovations to make the space even more inviting for ourselves and for future guests. Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at Airbnb.ca slash host. That was Victor Ocean at the TED Salon Big Bets event in 2024, supported by the Rockefeller Foundation.

If you're curious about TED's curation, find out more at TED.com slash curation guidelines. And that's it for today. TED Talks Daily is part of the TED Audio Collective. This episode was produced and edited by our team, Martha Estefanos, Oliver Friedman, Brian Green, Autumn Thompson, and Alejandra Salazar. It was mixed by Christopher Faisy-Bogan.

Additional support from Emma Taubner, Daniela Balarezo, and Will Hennessy. I'm Elise Hugh. I'll be back tomorrow with a fresh idea for your feed. Thanks for listening. Looking for a fun challenge to share with your friends and family? TED now has games designed to keep your mind sharp while having fun.

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