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Blog Post:  Posted December 6, 2009, 11:16 am by Usmaan Ahmad

Gearing up for the climate change concert

Country: India

Topics: Climate Change

Hi everybody! While the upcoming Mercy Corps "Say It's Possible" Climate Change Concert with Terra Naomi is no ordinary concert, no concert would be complete without its posters and radio ads.

Ahead of the concert, I thought I'd share the poster (at right) and radio spot that Terra recorded with Big 92.7 FM which is the radio partner in Kashmir for this event. The radio spot is part of Mercy Corps' effort to raise local awareness about climate change through this event. The hope is that this event will educate the Kashmiri public which can be a basis of practical efforts. On December 7, Big 92.7 FM will be broadcasting Terra's concert throughout the Kashmir Valley and it will be playing the new Kashmiri-English version "Say It's Possible" as soon as Terra, Waheed Jeelani and other Kashmiri artists record it in a studio in Srinagar.

We'll have a lot more news, photos and video soon!

Blog Post:  Posted December 4, 2009, 12:25 pm by Usmaan Ahmad

Video: New documentary on the impact of climate change in the Kashmir Valley

Good morning!

The preparations are in full swing for Terra’s visit and the Mercy Corps “Say It’s Possible” Climate Change Concert that will take place here in Kashmir on Dec. 7. So many have stepped forward and volunteered their talent and time with the hope that this effort will help educate the public across the globe and somehow motivate people and their governments to commit themselves to taking Climate Change seriously at Copenhagen and beyond.

In particular, the local artist community in Kashmir is playing a leading role in supporting this awareness-raising event by developing a Kashmiri-English version of Terra’s inspiring song “Say It’s Possible,” and composing a traditional Kashmiri musical orchestra to back up Terra and the Kashmiri singers who will be performing with her.

In addition to Terra’s musical performance, the event will feature the premiere of a new documentary film that takes a close look at some of the observable impacts of climate change that are taking place in the Kashmir Valley. The film is titled Global Warming — A Catastrophe in the Making, and has been made by Shafqat Habib and Shahid Rasool of the Educational Multi-Media Research Center (EMMRC) at the University of Kashmir.

With stunning views of the Himalayan vistas in Kashmir, this documentary features some leading scientists, including Dr. Shakil Romshoo, a glaciologist at the University of Kashmir who has been conducting research on glacial retreat in the Himalaya as a result of global warming. The film looks closely at how climate change is already affecting the livelihoods of some of the most vulnerable sections of the Kashmiri community and explores what the future holds for this region if the world is not able to muster the political will needed to reverse the current trends.

While the audience in Kashmir will get to see the premiere of this film on the big screen at the Climate Change Concert on December 7, Mercy Corps is pleased to host the online premiere of this film right here, right now.

This online premiere is made possible by the dedicated filmmakers, Shafqat Habib and Shahid Rasool, and through official collaboration of EMMRC (University of Kashmir) in Mercy Corps’ “Say It’s Possible” Climate Change Concert with Terra Naomi in Kashmir.

Also, if you haven’t already watched it on YouTube, click here to watch the trailer for another documentary by a U.S. flimmaker called, Kashmir: On Thin Ice, coming out next year. This film highlights a growing concern that climate change might increase tensions in South Asia as Kashmir’s water resources become scarce.

I’ll be sharing a whole lot more info soon — next time focusing on the good news, i.e. what can be done at the local and global level to avert the climate-induced human catastrophes that are now in the making across our fragile planet.

Blog Post:  Posted November 24, 2009, 3:28 pm by Usmaan Ahmad

Climate change presents huge challenges in Kashmir

Greetings from Kashmir!

We are really excited about Mercy Corps' “Say It’s Possible” Climate Change Concert here in Srinagar, Kashmir on December 7, 2009. The headliner is YouTube sensation Terra Naomi, and we couldn't be happier to have her perform here.

When we first approached Terra with the idea of doing this awareness-raising event on climate change in Srinagar as part of her 2009 India Tour, Terra immediately signed up for the cause. So I want to start by thanking Terra for being so committed to this important issue.

The timing of Terra’s concert couldn’t be more appropriate. World leaders will be meeting in Copenhagen to discuss climate change from December 7 to December 18.

We are already seeing the effects climate change across the globe. It’s a big challenge — an environmentally, economically and socially stable future for the planet is at stake. The world has a diminishing window in which to tackle this challenge and it’s going to require international cooperation on an unprecedented scale to achieve that goal. The current agreement, the Kyoto Protocol, expires in 2012. Many believe that Copenhagen is the best chance at securing a global deal, one that is ambitious enough with its commitments to avert catastrophic climate change.

Given all the competing interests involved, is such a global agreement on climate change possible?

That’s the big question on everybody’s mind, and many people are pessimistic about what will be achieved. So on December 7, we’re hoping Terra’s concert in Kashmir will, in a small way, send a more optimistic message to all the representatives meeting in Copenhagen — that it's possible for the world to come together and tackle this problem in a meaningful way.

In other words — to quote Terra herself — “Say it’s Possible!”

The location of Terra’s concert, the Kashmir Valley, also couldn’t be more relevant. The Himalaya and its glaciers are one of the places immediately threatened by the impacts of climate change. The populations living in the Himalaya are the least responsible for creating this problem, but they are already beginning to bear the brunt of its impacts.

While many people living in the developed world are still wondering what climate change might mean for them in the future, Kashmiris are already dealing with this challenge. Climate change threatens to cause glacial melt across the globe and many of the small glaciers in Kashmir are already on the verge of disappearing altogether. These glaciers are a life-support system for all the people who live downstream. Climate change is also causing the weather patterns to change, which is threatening farmers’ crops. This presents huge challenge here in Kashmir, since the majority of the population depends on agriculture to survive.

People in developing societies, like communities in Kashmir, are going to need help overcoming all of these challenges. That’s what Mercy Corps is hoping to do through our climate change programs. And making a donation is a great way to help Mercy Corps extend a helping hand to those already affected by climate change.

Before the concert, Terra will be visiting the glaciers and meeting with members of the community here in Kashmir. We’re hoping that Terra’s visit and concert in Kashmir can help shine a spotlight on the challenges that climate change poses for developing societies — as well as why it's important for the developed countries to take responsibility in Copenhagen for dedicating resources to help.

To learn more about the upcoming meeting in Copenhagen check out the official website for the conference. We'll also be posting updates from Mercy Corps own climate change expert, Jim Jarvie, who will be attending the talks in Copenhagen.

I’ll be posting a lot more about the effects of climate change in Kashmir, photos and video of Terra’s visit, and suggestions for how to help.

- Usmaan