Part of massive global demonstrations for urgent action on climate change, inspired by young climate activist Greta Thunberg in Sweden. In Brighton, UK, thousands of school students skipped school and demonstrated. 350.org calculated that around 1.4 million students took part globally.

Photo:
Sean Hawkey/WCC

Care for creation and climate justice

Care for creation and justice are at the centre of WCC work on climate change. The Bible teaches the wholeness of creation and calls human beings to take care of the garden of Eden (Gen 2:15). The God of the Bible is a God of justice who protects, loves and cares for the most vulnerable among his creatures.

Care for creation and justice are at the centre of WCC work on climate change. The Bible teaches the wholeness of creation and calls human beings to take care of the garden of Eden (Gen 2:15). The God of the Bible is a God of justice who protects, loves and cares for the most vulnerable among his creatures.

The present world development model is threatening the lives and livelihoods of many, especially among the world's poorest people, and destroying biodiversity. The ecumenical vision is to overcome this model based on over-consumption and greed.

Since the 1970s, the WCC has helped develop the concept of sustainable communities. Since the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was adopted in 1992, the WCC has been present at all UN climate change conferences.

Over the years, the WCC helped foster a movement for climate justice touching millions of people around the world.

It's time for climate justice. When creation is threatened, churches and Christians are called to speak out and act as an expression of their commitment to life, justice and love.

The Special Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change on 1.5°C warming indicates that we are well on our way to passing the relatively safe limit of 1.5°C warming and stresses that only with “rapid and far-reaching” transitions in the world economy, on a scale and at a rate without historical precedent, can we keep under this target. It estimates that the necessary transformations must take place within a rapidly disappearing window of opportunity, perhaps within as little as a decade, if we are to avoid catastrophic impacts of climate change.

Against this background the WCC relentlessly advocates for climate justice at the annual Conference of Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change as well as in other fora. 

 

WCC Central Committee and Executive Committee statements on climate justice:

Statement on COP 24 and a Just Transition to a Sustainable Economy

Statement on the Amazon Under Threat

Statement on Climate Justice

Statement on the US Government’s Withdrawal from the Paris Agreement on Climate Change

Statement on COP 21

 

WCC statements on behalf of faith groups at the high-level segments of the UNFCCC COPs:

Climate Justice is at the Heart of Just Transitions

To Bonn and Beyond: Act Now with Justice and Peace

The Bond between Decision and Action

We have Hope and the Right to Hope

 

Other resources:

Interfaith Reflections on Just Transitions: Linking Climate and Economic Justice

WCC General Secretary Statement on the Report of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

Final Message of the WCC Conference on Just Peace with the Earth

WCC General Secretary Advent Message on the Eve of COP 21

WCC 10thAssembly Minute on Climate Justice 

Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios I proclaimed 1 September as a day of prayer for creation for the Orthodox in 1989. In fact, the Orthodox church year starts on that day with a commemoration of how God created the world.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) was instrumental in making the special time a season, extending the celebration from 1 September until 4 October.

Following the leadership of Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios I and the WCC, Christians worldwide have embraced the season as part of their annual calendar. Pope Francis made the Roman Catholic Church’s warm welcoming of the season official in 2015.

In recent years, statements from religious leaders around the world have also encouraged the faithful to take time to care for creation during the month-long celebration.

The season starts 1 September, the Day of Prayer for Creation, and ends 4 October, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology beloved by many Christian denominations.

Throughout the month-long celebration, the world’s 2.2 billion Christians come together to care for our common home.

Activities and resources to celebrate the Season of Creation are supported by an ecumenical steering committee and a coalition of partners from around the world.

Season of Creation website

The COP26 summit will bring parties together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Following up on a long history of engagement on climate justice in UN climate conferences, the participation of the WCC delegation at COP26, formed by members of the WCC Working Group on Climate Change, representatives of WCC member churches, and WCC staff members, is also an opportunity for WCC to express its concerns about the climate emergency, raising its prophetic voice and bringing to light good practices and strong testimonies from voices of the ecumenical fellowship. Equally important is the opportunity to add spiritual dimensions to the topic and to underline the need for both scientific and religious aspects in order to cope with climate change and promote climate justice. 

 

WCC documents and resources on climate change

WCC executive committee statement on the outcome of COP26
The executive committee of the World Council of Churches (WCC) expressed in a public statement “disappointment and dismay at the inadequate outcome of the COP 26 Climate Change Conference” in Glasgow, United Kingdom.

WCC executive committee Statement on the Climate Change Emergency - November 2019

Roadmap for Congregations, Communities and Churches for an Economy of Life and Ecological Justice
A 5-step programme to change the way we deal with the economy and our ecological surroundings.

Walk the Talk
A Toolkit to Accompany the "Roadmap for Congregations, Communities and Churches for an Economy of Life and Ecological Justice".

Cooler Earth – Higher Benefits Second Edition
Actions by those who care about children, climate and finance.

Climate Justice with and for Children and Youth in Churches
This toolkit provides resources for churches, church-run schools, and summer camps to support intergenerational climate and environmental justice and promote care for children by stopping further global warming. All churches are encouraged to promote education and action to address climate change, reduce CO2 emissions, and protect the environment in their activities for and with children and youth.

 

 

WCC blog posts on COP26
Key ecumenical and interfaith documents on COP26 and climate change

The Interfaith Talanoa Dialogue Call to COP26 - 11 November 2021
At the opening of the 26th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), more than 200 people from many faith traditions and different parts of the world gathered at the Garnethill Synagogue in Glasgow, physically and virtually. We listened to each other’s stories and reflections on what climate change means from our faith perspectives; we prayed together; and we shared a meal. Using the Talanoa Dialogue methodology from the Pacific we discussed: Where are we now? Where do we want to go? And how do we get there?

Statement from the Faith-Based Organizations to COP26
To the High-Level Ministerial Segment of the 26th Session of the Conference of the Parties – COP26 to the UNFCCC, Glasgow, United Kingdom 10 November 202.

Faith and Science: An Appeal for COP26
On 4 October 2021, faith leaders representing the world’s major religions joined scientists at the Vatican to call on the international community to raise their ambition and step up their climate action ahead of COP26. Almost 40 faith leaders signed a joint Appeal, which was presented by Pope Francis to COP26 President-Designate, the Rt Hon Alok Sharma, and the Italian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hon. Luigi Di Maio.

Call from young Christians to Governments gathered in the Pre COP 26 Milan, 30 September - 2 October
As young members of the Christian family in Italy, it is our hope that COP26 will be a crucial element in addressing the climate crisis. Together, we ask world leaders to take this opportunity of this session to define with determination and ambition measurable goals of climate justice for all.

Call from the Churches to Governments gathered in the Pre COP 26 Milan, 30 September - 2 October
Milan in September 2021 hosted the pre-conference of the parties in the framework of the UN Convention on Climate Change (pre-COP 26), 18 years after the COP 9 which took place in Milan in 2003.

Glasgow Multi-Faith Declaration for COP26
Scottish and UK religious leaders have signed a declaration urging governments to take transformational climate action at the COP26 in November.

Joint statement, Pope Francis, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and Archbishop of Canterbury urge care for future of the planet
For the first time, the leaders of the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church and Anglican Communion have jointly warned of the urgency of environmental sustainability, its impact on poverty, and the importance of global cooperation.

COP26 Statement from the Bishops of the Church of Sweden
Along with many others, we bishops are looking forward to COP26 with both hope and trepidation. The stakes are tremendously high.

God’s creation – our home
A message from the Bishops’ Conference of the Church of Norway about our Christian calling in the encounter with the climate crisis.

Declaration of the National Council of Churches in India on COP26
Declaration from National Council of Churches in India To the 26th Session of the Conference of Parties (COP26) Of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

An Interfaith Earth Day message in times of Covid 19 and Climate Emergency
Inter-faith group active at UNFCCC conferences response to the postponement of the COP26 - 22nd of April, Earth Day

WCC, WCRC, LWF, CWM letter to G20 finance ministers (July 2020)
The World Council of Churches (WCC), World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC), Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and Council for World Mission (CWM), have followed with profound concern how the COVID-19 pandemic and the related economic crisis have continued to destroy lives and livelihood around the world. To date this has resulted in more than half a million deaths, massive unemployment, increase of debts, poverty, and inequality in many parts of the world.

 

COP26 faith group holding hands
Photo:
Marcelo Schneider/WCC
WCC photo gallery on COP26

Click here to visit the photo gallery

Let's not lose sight of the reality of climate chaos.

Climate change isn't an abstract notion for the millions of people who have already suffered its effects through droughts, floods, hurricanes, wild fires, the failure of agriculture and the destruction of infrastructure.

Media discussions are tending to focus on peripheral details of the negotiations and negotiators and it is easy to forget what climate change is about for ordinary people around the world, particularly the poorest.

"These images remind us of the devastating impacts of climate change, and how dangerous it is for all of us if we don't act now. Let's not lose sight of the reality of climate chaos. We call on negotiators to agree on urgent and concrete actions to curb Greenhouse Gas emissions" said James Bhagwan, Gen. Sec. of the Pacific Conference of Churches.

All images are available for media use courtesy of the World Council of Churches. Please credit images as: Sean Hawkey/WCC

For comment or interviews at COP26 in Glasgow, please email marcelo.schneider@wcc-coe.org
World Council of Churches coverage of COP26 can be found at www.oikoumene.org/cop26

Click here to access high definition photos of the full exhibition (download password: WCC).
The photos are free for use only on publications related to COP26.

Protests and demonstrations
  • UK_Hawkey_ExtinctionRebellion_20190416_790

    Giles Goddard, the vicar of St John's, Waterloo, where he helped protestors in the Extinction Rebellion action by opening the church for the protestors to sleep and use other facilities. "I run the faith for the climate network. All the major faiths have care for the creation at the heart of what they hold dear. Now, more than ever, it is extremely urgent that we take action for the care of creation that we have responsibility for."

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Poland_Hawkey_COP24_Katowice_20181208_652

    A march took place through Katowice, Poland during the UN climate negotiations of COP24, with marchers from all over the world, protesting the dangerously slow process of the negotiations.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • germany_hawkey_20171111_1703

    A statue of Christ crucified stands in the Hambach forest near Bonn where the UN climate change negotiations are taking place. Protesters are occupying the Hambach forest, living in tree-houses to prevent the expansion of the mine. This mining area near Bonn is Europe’s greatest source of CO2 emissions. While there is very broad consensus that we need to stop mining coal, coal mines such as this continue to expand, and finance for fossil fuels extraction is still available, in many countries there are subsidies for fossil fuels but not renewable energy.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Mexico_Hawkey_Migrant_Caravan_20181027_1460

    Thousands on a migrant caravan from Central America stopped on the road outside Arriaga, Chiapas. Shortly after dawn, the caravan continued towards Juchitán, Oaxaca. Most of those on the caravan were from areas in Central America badly affected by the impacts of climate change: extreme weather, hurricanes, drought and failing agriculture. There is a strong correlation between climate change and migration.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Mexico_Migrant_Caravan_20181111_3772

    Migrants squeeze into the back of a lorry on a migrant caravan in Irapuato, Mexico. Most of those on the caravan were from areas in Central America badly affected by the impacts of climate change: extreme weather, hurricanes, drought and failing agriculture. There is a strong correlation between climate change and migration.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • germany_hawkey_20171104_416

    Thousands of climate activists from across the world took to the streets of Bonn just before the start of the UN climate conference COP23. The march was called "Fight for Climate Justice. End Coal!"

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Guatemala_Hawkey_ASOBAGRI_20120318_255

    The world has seen a dramatic increase in forest fires, across the Amazon, the Arctic, and across Australia for example, but also many other countries are affected as temperatures rise in global heating. In the picture, an orange cloud of smoke rises from a forest fire near Barillas, Huehuetenango, Guatemala.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • UK_Hawkey_ExtinctionRebellion_20190416_1022

    The Red Brigade Radical Dance Faction provided a theatrical backdrop to arrests of Extinction Rebellion climate activists on Waterloo Bridge, London, during demonstrations calling for urgent action on climate change.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • UK_Hawkey_ExtinctionRebellion_20190417_1668

    John Clements, a lay preacher from Oxford, is responsible for the Walk of Witness and prayer services in Oxford. He's involved with Christian Climate Action. "I think Christians need to be involved in action that has to happen to stop the climate crisis. Christians should all be worried about the destruction of God's creation, we need to be good stewards. I have been willing to be arrested. We need to be willing to make sacrifices to make the point, to bring the message home. We all need to work to unite all churches, to commit to deal more actively with the climate change crisis."

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • STH16353

    Part of massive global demonstrations for urgent action on climate change, inspired by young climate activist Greta Thunberg in Sweden. In Brighton, UK, thousands of school students skipped school and demonstrated. 350.org calculated that around 1.4 million students took part globally.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • France_Hawkey_COP21_2015_republique_0147

    On the eve of the UN climate talks COP21 being held in Paris COP21, demonstrators gathered in the Place de la Republique in Paris, to express their frustration at a planned climate march being banned. Riot police were brought in to ensure the march didn't happen and some confrontations ensued.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Poland_Hawkey_COP24_Katowice_20181209_1474

    In the Catholic Cathedral of Katowice in Poland, to show the firm support of faith-based groups for urgent action on climate change during the UN negotiations being held in the same city, an extraordinary ecumenical service was held with the participation of the LWF delegation, Bishop Ingeborg Midttomme of Norway and Bishop Mark Andrus of the US, Bishop Anders Wejryd of Sweden, the Rev. Henrik Grape of WCC, and many other ecumenical organisations and figures.

    Photo:
    Sena Hawkey/WCC
  • germany_hawkey_20171104_173

    Thousands of climate activists from across the world took to the streets of Bonn just before the start of the UN climate conference COP23. The march was called "Fight for Climate Justice. End Coal!"

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
Infrastructure damage
  • Honduras_Eta_Iota_Hawkey_20201120_2626

    Antonio sits with his brother where their house used to be in El Calan, Honduras. Following the double hurricanes of Eta and Iota, many houses were washed away or damaged in the north, centre and west of Honduras.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Honduras_Eta_Iota_Hawkey_20201129_7541

    Damage to roads in Copán, Honduras, following hurricanes Eta and Iota.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WC
  • Honduras_Eta_Iota_Hawkey_20201128_5579

    On November 24th 2020, following two hurricanes Eta and Iota and very heavy rainfall, a huge landslide occurred in La Reina, Protección, Santa Bárbara, Honduras. Estimates are that 280 houses disappeared under the mud. An entire coffee farm of 30 hectares disappeared. Inhabitants were scared by loud rumbling underground and in the mountain and evacuated in the dark just before the landslide, there were no fatalities. The region of Santa Bárbara continued to be susceptible for weeks afterwards, with hundreds of fresh landslides weeks after the hurricanes.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Honduras_Eta_Iota_Hawkey_20201201_8151

    The main road in La Ceiba, Honduras, the bridge was destroyed by the flood waters that came with hurricane Eta and Iota.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Honduras_Eta_Iota_Hawkey_20201118_1213

    The end of the road. The main highway between San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa at Tres Reyes, Pimienta was flooded during hurricane Iota, the water came at 2am, a lot of people were prepared, but flash flooding caught many by surprise and they lost all their belongings.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Honduras_Eta_Iota_Hawkey_20201129_6338

    Damage to road infrastructure in Copán, Honduras, following hurricanes Eta and Iota.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Honduras_Eta_Iota_Hawkey_20201208_9618

    Hector Hermilo Perdomo, COCASJOL, Colinas, Santa Bárbara, Honduras. “With the two hurricanes that hit Honduras, the water that fell with them has affected us very much. We’ve had landslides, lots of land has been wiped out, taking with it our crops. Just in my bit of land I’ve lost two manzanas (5 acres) that means 7000 coffee plants that I’ve lost, that I can’t recover. Also the production of those 7000 plants, that’s about 35 quintals of dry pergamino coffee that I’ve lost. All this means I’m in difficulties financially, it’s a big loss. Also I’ve lost the musacea, the bananas we plant alongside the coffee as shade, and we have a substantial trade of bananas to Guatemala, mainly the small banana we call ‘mínimo’, we’ve lost that too. We’ve got big difficulties with access to and from our farms here, after the main roads and minor roads were affected by landslides, and that has made it hard to get any product out to market, or get machinery in to fix things on our farms. I’ve had 14 small landslides, and two big ones on my own property.”

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Honduras_Eta_Iota_Hawkey_20201125_5432

    On November 24th 2020, following two hurricanes Eta and Iota and very heavy rainfall, a huge landslide occurred in La Reina, Protección, Santa Bárbara, Honduras. Estimates are that 280 houses disappeared under the mud. An entire coffee farm of 30 hectares disappeared. Inhabitants were scared by loud rumbling underground and in the mountain and evacuated in the dark just before the landslide, there were no fatalities. The region of Santa Bárbara continued to be susceptible for weeks afterwards, with hundreds of fresh landslides weeks after the hurricanes.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Honduras_Eta_Iota_Hawkey_20201125_5457

    A young man, Roberto Hernandez, runs over settling debris in the La Reina disaster to rescue a cat. On November 24th 2020, following two hurricanes Eta and Iota and very heavy rainfall, a huge landslide occurred in La Reina, Protección, Santa Bárbara, Honduras. Estimates are that 280 houses disappeared under the mud. An entire coffee farm of 30 hectares disappeared. Inhabitants were scared by loud rumbling underground and in the mountain and evacuated in the dark just before the landslide, there were no fatalities. The region of Santa Bárbara continued to be susceptible for weeks afterwards, with hundreds of fresh landslides weeks after the hurricanes.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Honduras_Eta_Iota_Hawkey_20201206_9146

    There are thousands of landslides in the north, centre and west of Honduras. Here in San Luis Planes the coffee harvest is affected by damaged roads that prevent coffee pickers from getting to farms and prevent transport of coffee to mills. The coffee harvest is also damaged from coffee cherries falling with heavy rain, root rot and many fungal diseases like leaf rust that prosper in humidity.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • India_Hawkey_Meghalaya_20170407_710

    World Renew is working in Nongladew through its partner NEICORD. Nongladew is a small village in the mountainous indigenous area of Meghalaya, in Northeast India with a population of Garo and Khasi indigenous people. The Garo are one of the last remaining matrilineal societies in the world. Martha Marak lives here with her children, Lening, John and Critika, who go to the local school. The school is underfunded and the roof was recently badly damaged by a severe hail storm, leaving it looking like a huge colander. When it rains the school has to close. Here Lening sits in class.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Honduras_Eta_Iota_Hawkey_20201206_9111

    There are thousands of landslides in the north, centre and west of Honduras. Here in San Luis Planes the coffee harvest is affected by damaged roads that prevent coffee pickers from getting to farms and prevent transport of coffee to mills. The coffee harvest is also damaged from coffee cherries falling with heavy rain, root rot and many fungal diseases like leaf rust that prosper in humidity.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
Water shortages
  • Nicaragua_Hawkey_drought_20140820_048

    Río Grande, Nicaragua. Drought is affecting large areas of Central America. Across Nicaragua hundreds of cattle are dying, wells are drying up and the harvests have failed.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • El _Salvador_Hawkey_drought_20140801_456

    At the lagoon of Alegría, Usulután, El Salvador, water levels have dropped dramatically in the drought that is affecting the region. Here, the water has receded hundreds of metres, a man carries a 'cantaro' of water across the dry lagoon bed. The effect of climate changes in the central american region are already extreme.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Nicaragua_Hawkey_ELCA_1103

    In San Luis, Somoto, Nicaragua, the community meets for Farm School days with staff from the Lutheran Church in Nicaragua. The project is supported by ELCA and provides the community groups with a solar-powered pump that brings up water from 45m deep and a drip irrigation system for the cultivation of maize that they grow collectively in the village, as a response to the prolonged drought and many failed harvests the region is suffering.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • El _Salvador_Hawkey_drought_20140801_205

    Sebastian Cedillos, agricultural technician at FUNDES, a partner of ACT member LWR, inspects a farmers corn field during the current drought. In wide areas across El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua, harvests have been completely destroyed by the drought causing enormous hardship for many thousands of poor subsistence farming families. The drought in this area is believed to be an effect of climate change.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Honduras_Hawkey_Jesus_20140806_008

    José Santos deepens his well to find water in El Burrillo, Valle, Honduras. With ongoing drought and irresponsible management of water resources by commercial agriculture, the water table has dropped and this has brought water scarcity for many villages and subsitence farmers.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Brazil_Hawkey_water_WCC_20170917_1109

    The Sapopemba favela in São Paulo, the largest city in the Western Hemisphere. in 2015 after very low rainfall in the rainy season, the level of water in the reservoirs supplying São Paulo dropped dramatically and the city announced a severe water shortage. A strict water rationing system was imposed. Many wealthy people responded by drilling their own wells, or by leaving the city to areas unaffected by drought, but many poorer people built or installed water tanks, which they hadn't needed until then, to store water that came when the mains supply was turned on for short periods often in the middle of the night. The water tanks can be seen in this picture. Megacities across the world have high levels of water vulnerability, which is increasing as climate change and deforestation bring severe and prolonged droughts. Other examples of dramatic water shortages and drying reservoirs can be found across the US.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Nicaragua_Hawkey_drought_20140820_006

    A bridge near San Francisco Libre in central Nicaragua, that no water has passed under for months. The rains just didn't come. In wide areas across El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua, harvests have been completely destroyed by the drought causing enormous hardship for many thousands of poor subsistence farming families. The drought in this area is believed to be an effect of climate change.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Nicaragua_Hawkey_drought_20140820_041

    Arnulfo José Espinoza Gonzalez is hauled up by a rope from a well he is digging deeper. Most wells in San Francisco Libre in Nicaragua have dried up, those with any water have to be deepened. The drought in this area is so severe that thousands of cattle have perished, and human life is becoming increasingly vulnerable. Crops have failed, animals have died, and the water is drying up. The drought is believed to be an effect of climate change.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Nicaragua_Hawkey_ELCA_0767

    In the village of La Carbonera, near Somoto, Nicaragua, the persistent drought has left left the soil dust-dry, and crops have failed year after year through lack of rain. Here, a community farming project will be irrigation-fed in a project supported by ELCA. Here Exequiel Viscay walks through a failing crop of maize waiting for the project to start.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Nicaragua_Hawkey_Las Diosas_20140811_356

    A bridge over the Río Pueblo Nuevo near Estelí in northern Nicaragua, that no water has passed under for months. The rains just didn't come. In wide areas across El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua, harvests have been completely destroyed by the drought causing enormous hardship for many thousands of poor subsistence farming families. The drought in this area is believed to be an effect of climate change.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Honduras_Hawkey_represa_20170302_412

    Los Laureles, one of two reservoirs that serve the Honduran capital Tegucigalpa, is currently at approximately half capacity, the water level drops more frequenty than ever and the driest months of the year bring the water level to previously unseen levels. The reservoir, according to the national water authority, SANAA, serves around 210,000 people with drinking water. The UN climate change panel, IPCC, have repeatedly predicted likelihood of reduced precipitation for the region, and cities as well as smaller rural communities are in danger of running out of water.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Honduras_Hawkey_represa_20170302_420

    Los Laureles, one of two reservoirs that serve the Honduran capital Tegucigalpa, is currently at approximately half capacity, the water level drops more frequenty than ever and the driest months of the year bring the water level to previously unseen levels. The reservoir, according to the national water authority, SANAA, serves around 210,000 people with drinking water. The UN climate change panel, IPCC, have repeatedly predicted likelihood of reduced precipitation for the region, and cities as well as smaller rural communities are in danger of running out of water.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
Crop losses
  • Honduras_Eta_Iota_Hawkey_20201202_8386

    Edgardo Barahona in Dos Bocas, Santa Rosa de Aguán, Honduras. Standing crops of maize and beans have been lost across the region because of the floods caused by hurricanes Eta and Iota. Some crops rotted, some dried out, many crops sprouted on the their stems before they could be harvested, most of the staple crops have been lost. Nutrients have been washed out of the soil too and a huge wave of fungal diseases like canker and leaf rust are just beginning. Cash crops like coffee are badly affected as well as food for local consumption.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Honduras_Eta_Iota_Hawkey_20201204_8994

    Standing crops destroyed by hurricanes Eta and Iota.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Honduras_Eta_Iota_Hawkey_20201129_7125

    Much of the maize harvest fell to the ground with very heavy rain, and then sprouted, presenting a huge loss of basic grains to the farmers and indigenous communities.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Honduras_Eta_Iota_Hawkey_20201203_8846

    Standing crops destroyed by hurricanes Eta and Iota.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Honduras_Eta_Iota_Hawkey_20201129_6860

    Handfuls of beans that have sprouted on in their pods before being harvested in Copán. CASM works with the indigenous Maya Chortí communities in Copán who have lost approximately 90% of their bean crop and about half their maize crop after heavy rains from hurricanes Eta and Iota, leaving them without the basic food they need to survive.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Honduras_Eta_Iota_Hawkey_20201122_3497

    After hurricane Eta and Iota, a child's doll stuck in the mud in the street in Chamelecón, San Pedro Sula, Honduras.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Honduras_Eta_Iota_Hawkey_20201204_8992

    African palm plantation affected by floods from hurricanes Eta and Iota.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Honduras_Eta_Iota_Hawkey_20201208_9597

    A vehicle of COCASJOL coffee coop got stuck in the mud on a routine visit to a farm. Access to farms has become increasingly difficult with many major and minor roads unpassable. Victor Manuel Pineda Granados (right) is a coffee farmer and is a member of the COCASJOL cooperative. “I have 4.5 manzanas, I’ve been affected by the landslides and quite a few trees that have fallen down, three of my big trees went down. With hurricane Mitch I was badly affected, in the same places, but I planted over the top again, but we aren’t so good economically now, so I don’t know, we’ll see if we can recover from this somehow.”

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Honduras_Eta_Iota_Hawkey_20201116_087

    Under the overpass at Chamelecón, people who lost their houses in hurricane Eta are fed by a family who arrive to cook breakfast every morning for over a hundred people. Hurricanes Eta and Iota hit hard on the north coast of Honduras, leaving some areas flooded for three weeks, destroying people's furniture, belongings, vehicles and houses as well as standing crops.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Honduras_Hawkey_20190718_001-2

    Leaf rust is a disease whose proliferation is related to climate change. Climate change increases temperatures but also the moisture content of the air, and increased moisture improves conditions for fungal growth. Leaf rust is a fungus that affects coffee trees, here on the left a healthy coffee tree with coffee cherries; centre is a leaf affected by leaft rust, and; on the right there is a coffee tree affected by leaf rust, stripped of its leaves. the coffee industry in Central America has been devastated by leaf rust, and many other agricultural products are threatened.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Honduras_Eta_Iota_Hawkey_20201125_4684

    Standing crops of maize and beans have been lost across the country because of the floods caused by hurricanes Eta and Iota. Some crops rotted, some dried out, many crops sprouted on the their stems before they could be harvested, most of the staple crops have been lost in the northe, centre and west of Honduras. Nutrients have been washed out of the soil too and a huge wave of fungal diseases like canker and leaf rust are just beginning. As well as food for local consumption and survival, cash crops like coffee and bananas are badly affected as well.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Honduras_Eta_Iota_Hawkey_20201204_9061

    Standing crops destroyed by hurricanes Eta and Iota.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
Hurricanes and floods
  • Honduras_Eta_Iota_Hawkey_20201117_1150

    A girl salvages belongings from her home as the Río Blanco in San Pedro Sula rose and swelled with fast-running water as hurricane Iota pushed into Honduras. Precarious housing on the riverside began to be washed away and people rushed to save their belongings.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Honduras_Eta_Iota_Hawkey_20201120_2989

    Angie Rodriguez, Colonia San Juan, Chamelecón, San Pedro Sula. Beginning to clean out her house after the double hurricanes of Eta and Iota.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Honduras_Eta_Iota_Hawkey_20201119_1661

    A boat navigates along the main highway between San Pedro Sula and the port of Puerto Cortés after it was flooded with hurricanes Eta and Iota hit Honduras.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Honduras_Eta_Iota_Hawkey_20201120_2989

    Daniela Orellana, carries a cloth with all her belongings and waits for the flood water to recede in Pimienta, Honduras.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Honduras_Eta_Iota_Hawkey_20201120_2353

    Views of the damage done by hurricanes Eta and Iota in Chamelecón, San Pedro Sula, Honduras. Many houses were washed away, leaving rubble or nothing, and many were badly damaged. As the flooding came unexpectedly fast many people lost all their belongings including their furniture.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Honduras_Eta_Iota_Hawkey_20201120_2327

    Flooded housing at Tres Reyes. Between San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa at Tres Reyes, Pimienta was flooded during hurricane Iota, the water came at 2am, a lot of people were prepared, but flash flooding caught many by surprise and they lost all their belongings.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Honduras_Eta_Iota_Hawkey_20201116_675

    In the muddy aftermath of hurricanes Eta and Iota, a garage door has the word "DIOS" (God) sprayed on it in La Planeta, San Pedro Sula, Honduras. Hurricanes Eta and Iota hit hard on the north coast of Honduras, leaving some areas flooded for three weeks, destroying people's furniture, belongings, vehicles and houses as well as standing crops.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Honduras_Eta_Iota_Hawkey_20201116_381

    A family recovers a bed from their house. They spent three days on the roof of the house waiting to be rescued. Hurricanes Eta and Iota hit hard on the north coast of Honduras, leaving some areas flooded for three weeks, destroying people's furniture, belongings, vehicles and houses as well as standing crops.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Honduras_Eta_Iota_Hawkey_20201120_2626

    Antonio sits with his brother where their house used to be in El Calan, Honduras. Following the double hurricanes of Eta and Iota, many houses were washed away or damaged in the north, centre and west of Honduras.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Honduras_Eta_Iota_Hawkey_20201123_3896

    A woman walks through the flood water in La Lima, Honduras, after hurricane Eta and Iota.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • cuba_hawkey_20051024_006

    Sea water flooded into an area of Old Havana. Increasing extreme weather events are linked to climate change.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Honduras_Eta_Iota_Hawkey_20201122_3494

    On the way to pick up anything salvageable from their house in Chamelecón.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
Drought
  • Nicaragua_Hawkey_drought_20140821_058

    Cowboy Mikol Hernández inspects the carcasses of cattle that died in recent drought in San Francisco Libre, Nicaragua. As the cattle began to struggle the ranchers moved them away to areas without drought, or they died. At the same time, as the crops failed on several consecutive years and as the water table dropped and the wells dried up, people began move away. Unable to sell their land, many of them move to uncontrolled areas of forest in the autonomous regions of the Atlantic where they cut down forest to make way for agriculture.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Jesus García walks through a crop of corn he lost during prolonged drought caused by climate change in Langue, Valle, Honduras. The drought had already lasted nine years.

    Jesus García walks through a crop of corn he lost during prolonged drought caused by climate change in Langue, Valle, Honduras. The drought had already lasted nine years.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Nicaragua_Hawkey_drought_20140820_016

    In San Francisco Libre, Nicaragua, children watch a cow that is too weak to stand because of the drought affecting the area. Many cattle were transported out of the dry corridor to graze in the uplands, but many cattle died from the drought, and this animal was thought unlikely to survive. Drought is affecting large areas of Central America.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Honduras_Hawkey_Choluteca_20170224_441

    Oscar Alexis Maldonado Ramírez rides his horse 'Palomo' along a stretch of the Rio Nacaome. "We're in the middle of the river, in the middle of what was the river, it shouldn't be like this should it? Even when it rains, which is rare now, the water disappears quickly, the crops fail without irrigation, but now the wells keep drying up so we can't irrigate. I've just taken my cattle away, they can't survive here without water. In fact we can't survive here without water."

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Honduras_Hawkey_20200222_495

    Tapaire, Choluteca. One of many dried-up rivers. Climate change and poor water resource management has caused many rivers to dry up, and water scarcity has become a serious problem for the communities in the region.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Honduras_Hawkey_20200222_473

    In this arid region of Honduras, inedible Calabash trees spot the parched landscape. Climate change and poor water management is pushing the environment from arid to desert with devastating impacts for farmers and rural communities.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Honduras_Hawkey_Jesus_20170224_069

    Rio Chiquito, Nacaome, Honduras, with holes where sand is being extracted for building.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Honduras_Hawkey_LWF_0889

    Cristi Carina Reyes lives in Tempisque, Langue, Valle, Honduras with her family. Many water wells in the area have dried. This means that people have to walk long distances to collect water. Cristi walks about an hour a day collecting water for her family.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Honduras_Hawkey_BertaCaceres_20170224_518

    A woman carries a bucket to fill at a village well. The drought affecting this area near Langue, Valle, has gone on for nearly ten years, resulting from climate change. The local wells have either dried up, or they have locking hatches over them, to allow rationing of water in the community.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Honduras_Eta_Iota_Hawkey_20201129_7270

    Cowboy Mikol Hernández inspects the carcasses of cattle that died in recent drought in San Francisco Libre, Nicaragua. As the cattle began to struggle the ranchers moved them away to areas without drought, or they died. At the same time, as the crops failed on several consecutive years and as the water table dropped and the wells dried up, people began move away. Unable to sell their land, many of them move to uncontrolled areas of forest in the autonomous regions of the Atlantic where they cut down forest to make way for agriculture.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Honduras_Hawkey_Choluteca_20170223_539

    An aerial view of scorched earth near Choluteca, southern Honduras where a prolonged drought is affecting agriculture and daily life with severe water scarcity.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC
  • Nicaragua_Hawkey_drought_20140821_058

    Cattle that died in the drought, San Francisco Libre, Nicaragua. The drought affected large areas of Central America. Cattle died in Nicaragua, wells dry up and the harvests failed. While the dry corridor is an arid area, climate change is widely believed to be responsible for the prolonged drought.

    Photo:
    Sean Hawkey/WCC