SDG #13 Climate Change

“Despite its immensity, the Earth’s resources are not infinite, and it’s clear we’ve exceeded its limits. But it’s also resilient. We can save our planet if we commit to it.” ~ Yves Chouinard 

Continuing my thoughts on how the mission and work of Opportunity International Canada contribute to progress on some of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, this week I’m looking at SDG #13 – Climate Action. 

Let me begin by acknowledging that the challenges around climate change are immense, and our contributions are modest at best. But if we all do what we can, the cumulative impact will make a difference. 

Two key concepts around climate action are mitigation and adaptation. Mitigation is about addressing the causes of climate change. Adaptation is the effort to reduce the impact of climate change. 

Opportunity International is laser-focused on helping marginalized populations escape the cycle of inter-generational poverty through sustainable livelihoods and education. As such, our mission will naturally contribute more directly towards adaptation and strengthening climate resilience. 

The clients we seek to serve are disproportionately vulnerable to the negative impacts of climate events such as droughts, floods, and storms. They lack the resources and safety nets that provide resilience in the face of climate-related shocks.

But it is interesting to note that much of the work we do across all client sectors already helps to build the resilience we seek.

At its basic level, the transformation in a client that happens when they acquire the skills, resources, and confidence to launch an enterprise increases their resilience, providing the tools to rebuild and continue to provide for their families. 

We have long emphasized the importance of savings and debt management, as clients regularly put away a small amount of their earnings. I heard several stories of clients in Honduras who credited their savings with helping them get back on their feet in the aftermath of the two hurricanes in 2020.  

And as a pioneer in microinsurance, we have helped pave the way for millions of clients to access insurance for crop failure, storm damage, and loss of life. Instead of seeing their livelihoods completely wiped out, clients can bounce back and build a stronger enterprise going forward. 

We know that our work builds resilience to help clients withstand the many challenges they will face, including severe climate events. However, we knew that we wanted to do more. 

Opportunity International, at the global level, has been working more intentionally over the past couple of years, consulting with external climate experts to review everything we do through the climate lens. This work has been particularly relevant within our Agriculture Finance team and its work with smallholder farmers. 

Although it is still in the early days, we are working with our partners, funding agencies and other NGOs to innovate and adapt in the face of climate challenges for our clients.  We are investing in research to acquire better data to help understand climate impacts and to measure client resilience. And we are developing innovative blended finance tools to incentivize clients to adopt more resilient practices, most notably among smallholder farmers. 

We are investing in research to acquire better data to help understand climate impacts and to measure client resilience. And we are developing innovative blended finance tools to incentivize clients to adopt more resilient practices, most notably among smallholder farmers.

We remain committed to our mission of building a world in which all people have the opportunity to live a life free from poverty, with dignity and purpose. And increasingly, this mission will require us to focus on building client resilience in the face of severe climate events. 

Dan Murray, CEO