Climate Resilience for Whom? The Importance of Locally-Led Development in the Northern Triangle

Mar 21, 2022 | Claire Doyle
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In the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, climate, conflict, and migration are interacting in complex ways, said Risi. It is the second most disaster-prone region in the world and features high levels of political instability, unemployment, social exclusion, and violence.

“Data from UNHCR shows that over the last decade, weather-related crises have triggered over twice as much displacement as conflict and violence, and since 2010 extreme weather has forced around 21 million people a year to move,” said Sikorsky. While migration can often be a positive response strategy to climate stressors, it can also prompt or deepen instability and insecurity when it is combined with other factors.  

Climate mitigation efforts have also exacerbated regional injustice, conflict, and migration. “Renewable energy projects are highly contentious in the Northern Triangle,” said Kandel. In many cases, local communities cannot access the energy generated by hydroelectric projects in or adjacent to their territories, said Miranda. 

Territorial actors in the Northern Triangle have been spearheading nature-based climate action through initiatives in food sovereignty, water rights, community forest management, and other avenues. To address the underlying issues, said Miranda, governments need to shift investments away from unsustainable growth models and instead promote wellbeing. With greater access to climate financing, for example, frontline defenders can scale up these effective, locally-led resilience initiatives.