Climate Change Working Group

The NGO I chose is the Climate Change Working Group (CCWG). The CCWG is concerned with the ever deteriorating situations involving the global climate, and the threats of global warming. The group also specifically deals with the problems of Vietnam, which as one can guess, heavily involve issues of storms and flooding. The CCWG also looks to act as a collective, encouraging other smaller climate and disaster related NGO groups to join them, and speak with more weight as a collective. The primary focus of the group is to better inform the public on the dangers of climate, as well as help with the communication between the government, disaster relief groups, and the general public in times of emergency.

The cause is no doubt a noble one. Simulations of global warming show rising sea levels dramatically harming some parts of Vietnam. There is no question that this information needs to be spread throughout both governmental institutions as well as the public. But at the same time, information can only go so far. While the cause of the CCWG is a just one, the execution and creation of actual results is difficult. I question how much funding this group actually has, since it does not seem to be in any way monetarily affiliated with any government organization. Plus, how much can an organization that meets only once a month for the core group of members, and once every two months for other members accomplish? I understand that it takes time to accomplish these large goals that they hold, but I question how much organization and coordination they can have with so little interaction.

I believe that organizations like this are necessary, but I wish there was more assurance that a large impact could be made with this group. I applaud that one of their goals is to gather all of the climate and disaster related NGOs into one group, since I believe this does provide them with a larger voice within the community, and maybe to the government as well. This will remain an issue for years to come, and hopefully organizations like these will flourish.