Climate Resilience and Democratic Governance in Central America’s Northern Triangle

A new report from the Wilson Center’s Latin America Program explores the impacts of extreme weather events on three Central American countries—El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras—and the efforts of local communities, against all odds, to build resilience in the face of the increasingly brutal impacts of climate change.

In recent years, hurricanes, prolonged drought followed by intense rainfall and flooding, and wildfires have afflicted the region. The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reported that “the countries of Central America consistently rank highest in the world for risks associated with extreme weather.” The new report, Climate Resilience and Democratic Governance in Central America’s Northern Triangle, tells a more hopeful story. Experts based in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras conducted extensive fieldwork to determine how local communities—on their own or in coordination with local, regional, or national authorities and international supporters–are responding to climate challenges in ways that build resilience.

The report draws policy lessons about forest protection, the role of community-based climate action in deepening social cohesion, and the involvement of community leaders, municipal authorities, and non-governmental organizations in projects that improve agricultural yields for small farmers.