Stories of Hope Amidst Climate Change and Conflict

     Even though it seems almost impossible to fight for the environment amidst a warzone, many throughout the world are doing just that on a day to day basis. The Equator Initiative looks to acknowledge those who have found innovative ways to protect the environment and their way of life (two areas that almost always overlap) in regions of intense conflict. During one of the side conferences in the Rio Pavilion at COP21, a panel of award recipients from a variety of countries took turns sharing their powerful stories of endurance and survival. All of the accounts focused on the goal to preserve cultural heritage that was connected to the land and build provide jobs,to those who desperately needed them,in time of conflict and insecurity. All these grass root movements were driven by human rights initiatives that fought for both human and environmental justice.
     One award recipient, from Ethiopia, spoke about community solutions in cases of conflict. He gave a brief presentation on the best practices in Southern Ethiopia and Northern Kenya that have strengthened communities with respect to conflict management. Another speaker, a MASTA member from Honduras, talked about how violence over territory rights in the region have produced instability and insecurity among communities. Additionally, deforestation of local forests are also the main cause of insecurity and conflict, which is only elevated due to the fact that drug trafficking is prominent in the region. For more information, please visit the Equator Prize 2015 Winners to learn about these remarkable stories regions including; Sub-Sahara Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Asia and the Pacific.