Can Life skill be enhanced as human adaptation measures to averting climate change?

Life skills can be defined as “the abilities for adaptive and positive behaviour that enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of
everyday life” or “behaviour change or behaviour development approach designed to address a balance of three areas: knowledge, attitude and skills.” Life
skills are essentially those abilities that help promote mental well-being and competence in people as they face the realities of life, climate change in this
case. Most environment professionals agree that life skills can generally be applied in the context of social events. They can be utilised in many content areas like prevention of drug abuse, HIV/AIDS prevention and of course in the fight against climate change. This approach would encompass areas like environmental and climate change education, disaster preparedness education or education for development and livelihood, among others. In short, life skills would empower people to take positive action to protect themselves as individuals and communities and also promote health and positive social
occurrences.

Life skill strategies and techniques would include: problem solving, critical thinking, effective communication skills, decision-making, creative thinking,interpersonal relationship skills, self awareness, building skills, empathy,and coping with stress and emotions all of which are more than essential in the fight against climate change. Consequently, the individuals will be able to discern available opportunities and prepare to face possible climate change threats, leading to the development of social awareness of the concerns of one’s family which would then spill over to the community. One would be able to explore alternatives, weigh pros and cons and make rational decisions in solving climate change problems as they arise at the grassroots level. It also entails being able to establish productive interpersonal relationships with others who are fighting climate
change elsewhere.