By July 2024, climate scientists were already projecting that this calendar year will end as the hottest one on record and have begun tracking the potential impacts of continued warming on critical climate system tipping points. Human-driven climate change continues to disproportionately impact poor, marginalized and excluded households and communities, both in the United States and globally. In many communities where CWS works, climate change aggravates existing environmental injustices and reinforces inequities in access to essential services and basic human rights. For these reasons, CWS continues to promote climate action across all our program priorities and to advocate for an urgent shift to renewable energy and an end to global climate pollution.
In our programmatic responses, CWS emphasizes locally-led climate adaptation and community-based disaster risk reduction. Climate adaptation refers to planned changes being made in human and natural systems, in response to the ways that our climate is already changing, and to climate shifts that scientific consensus projects in the coming years and decades. Locally-led adaptation increases the voice, leadership and control of financial and technical resources by communities who live on the frontlines of climate change—families and communities who have contributed little or nothing to global climate pollution in the first place. Disaster risk reduction reflects strategies, policies and actions to decrease the potential harm to people, services and community assets when climate hazards do occur.
CWS works alongside climate-impacted communities to reduce or avoid the harmful impacts of climate change, including by reducing risks associated with sudden disasters and chronic climate stressors and adjusting to changing climate conditions in ways that generate new benefits and expand opportunities for sustainable livelihoods. Our activities use strength-based approaches that value indigenous and local knowledge alongside technical and scientific knowledge, and that encourage capacity-building of impacted communities to assess climate risk and risk management options for themselves.
The costs of climate adaptation and hazard mitigation continue to rise, and while policymakers speak about the need to invest in adaptation and risk reduction, too often resources are only made available after disasters strike. At that point, it is too late for the most vulnerable communities, who bear the brunt of harm caused by climate disasters. Through past research and project evaluations, CWS and our community partners have reaffirmed that climate-impacted households are already putting their limited resources toward coping with the impacts of climate change and value partnerships that build on and scale up these efforts. Robust and effective investments in locally-led adaptation are critical to averting further loss and damage.
In the last five years, CWS has worked with frontline communities in more than a dozen countries to adapt to climate change. Our programs reflect Locally Led Adaptation Principles and emphasize equitable access to climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction resources and decision-making.
Program participants and staff members in CWS’ Ecosystem-Based Adaptation program in Cambodia
Continue reading to see how we are implementing these principles in our programs worldwide.
Kenya: Expanding access to robust climate information in Kitui County
In Kenya’s Kitui County, where the semi-arid landscape is facing increasing unpredictability in rainfall and soaring temperatures, CWS has partnered with local farmers to provide real-time climate information. By installing smart devices, known as IoTs (which stands for internet of things) we’ve helped 136 farmers, including women and youth, access critical data about soil moisture and temperature. This data, along with traditional and scientific climate forecasts, equips farmers to make informed decisions about their crops, reducing the risks of drought and flooding. This locally led approach helps build community resilience and creates sustainable livelihoods in the face of a changing climate. Read more about this work here.
Paraguay: Building Indigenous community power for climate resilience
In Paraguay’s Gran Chaco region, extreme heat and erratic rainfall are becoming the norm, threatening food security and water access for Indigenous communities. Through our partnership with Enxet Sur communities, CWS is helping document local climate impacts and build community leadership in adaptation planning. Indigenous women and youth have played a key role in this process, working alongside government officials to advocate for their needs and increase the visibility of the climate risks they face. By combining local knowledge with the latest scientific assessments, CWS empowers these communities to take action for a more climate-resilient future.
Cambodia: Resilient water infrastructure amid changing rainfall patterns
In Cambodia’s Battambang and Kampong Thom provinces, climate change is threatening access to water and food security. CWS is addressing these risks by helping communities build resilient water infrastructure, such as retention ponds that store rainwater for drought periods. Our ecosystem-based adaptation projects also work to preserve forests and watersheds, which are critical for flood protection and sustainable livelihoods. By empowering local households to manage these resources, we ensure that communities can adapt to the growing challenges of water scarcity and climate variability.
Indonesia: Resilient and sustainable livelihoods in an increasingly dry climate
In Indonesia’s West Nusa Tenggara province, climate change is exacerbating droughts and increasing the risk of food shortages. To support rural farmers, CWS is expanding sustainable farming practices, such as haymaking and planting resilient tree species that can thrive in arid conditions. These activities not only help farmers adapt to longer dry seasons but also promote animal growth and disease resistance, ensuring food security for livestock and communities alike. Additionally, CWS is working with local women to identify alternative, non-agricultural livelihoods, increasing household resilience to climate impacts.
To learn more about the work CWS is doing to combat climate change and build resilient communities, click here. To support the work of CWS, make a gift here.
Andrew Fuys is CWS’ Senior Technical Advisor for Climate Migration