The 2024 Climatelinks Photo Contest captured how communities across the globe are confronting climate change. We received over 300 submissions from the Climatelinks community, representing more than 45 countries. Thank you to everyone who participated in the contest and congratulations to the winners!
All submissions to the photo contest will be published on Climatelinks in the coming weeks. To view this year’s submissions as well as photos from our blogs and past contests, visit the Climatelinks photo gallery. Visitors may also submit their own photos to the gallery year-round.
Introducing the winners:
Solar-Powered Irrigation Transforming Agriculture for Smallholder Farmers
Farmers operate a solar-powered irrigation system in Villa de San Francisco, Francisco Morazán, Honduras, giving them a reliable supply of water to grow their previously rain-fed crops even during droughts. USAID’s Transforming Market Systems Activity helps farmers adopt this and other climate-smart technologies to boost their productivity and adopt sustainable agricultural practices that build their resilience to water scarcity and other impacts of droughts.
Ama’t Anak”(Father and Son) Travel Through Protected Mangroves
A father and son travel through the mangroves in Barangay San Roque on Bucas Grande Island, Surigao Del Norte, Philippines. These trees in San Roque make up an old growth forest, serving as a vital habitat for biodiversity, and a carbon sink that sequesters huge amounts of carbon from the atmosphere. The area has been designated as an ecotourism site and strict protection zone through the efforts of USAID’s Sustainable Interventions for Biodiversity, Oceans, and Landscapes project and local partners, who conducted a study on the value of ecosystem services these mangroves provide.
Using Solar Energy to Improve Farm Production Efficiency
Farmers in Chiang Khan, Loei Province, Thailand, harness the power of the sun to boost their crops and their income. The USAID Southeast Asia Smart Power Program is working with financial institutions across Southeast Asia to support projects that not only protect the planet but also help increase livelihoods.
Secure Land Tenure Provides Stability
In Puerto Lleras, Meta, Colombia, a community member submits their land rights claim during a municipal-wide effort led by USAID’s Land for Prosperity Activity to help rural communities document land ownership. Secure land rights are building a foundation for peace and a precondition for sustainable governance of natural resources. Secure land rights are linked to lower deforestation rates, higher carbon storage, increased biodiversity, and increased investments in climate-smart agriculture. Limited access to land and insecure land rights are the main causes of seven decades of Colombian internal armed conflict. Overcoming this issue opens the path to rural development.
Building Resilience Despite an Ever-changing Climate
Parents and teachers in Zanzibar, Tanzania, work together in partnerships supported by USAID’s Jifunze Uelewe (Learn to Understand) project to ensure students have access to the support and resources needed to thrive, including clean water from tanks and wells for handwashing and cooling off. This infrastructure helps strengthen schools’ climate resilience so students can continue their education even as the frequency and severity of dry seasons increases due to extreme weather.
Renewable Breakthrough: Cirata Floating Solar Plant Leads Southeast Asia
The 192 megawatt Cirata floating solar plant in West Java province, Indonesia, is one of the largest floating solar plants in the world. The plant advances Indonesia's transition to cleaner energy sources while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and providing energy for development. The USAID Sustainable Energy for Indonesia’s Advancing Resilience project helped build the capacity of Indonesia’s state-owned electricity company to manage integrating the new energy source into the country’s power system.
Training Women for Emerging Skills in Georgia’s Green Economy
Olga, a private sector installer of automated hybrid energy systems, inspects and monitors solar photovoltaic systems in Bazaleti, Georgia. Olga is a graduate of a training program for renewable energy supported by USAID's Industry-led Skills Development Program. By expanding opportunities for women in Georgia’s private sector workforce and providing training in renewable energy technologies, USAID is helping Georgia build a more inclusive workforce to reduce the country’s dependence on imported fossil fuels, increase resilience to climate change, and decrease greenhouse gas emissions.
Nepalese Youth for Climate Action
Anjali, an activist and network coordinator with Nepalese Youth for Climate Action, participates in a demonstration on the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies in Lalitpur, Nepal. Youth are an important part of climate activism in Nepal. USAID Clean Air is partnering with young climate activists and youth-led organizations to raise awareness of air pollution issues and advocate for clean air for all.
Solar Powered Light Source Promotes Safe Childbirth in Nigeria
Aishat provides antenatal care to a patient in Kebbi State, Nigeria, with light from a Solar Suitcase provided with support from USAID’s Integrated Health Program Nigeria and the Kebbi State Ministry of Health. The transition to clean energy, including mobile solar devices, creates an opportunity to increase access to electricity in Nigeria, even in the most remote areas, supporting more pregnant women to access 24/7 services to safely deliver their babies at a health facility and contributing to reducing maternal and child mortality.
Para sa Baji (For the Women)
Residents of Del Carmen, Siargao Island, Philippines, repair their community’s women’s center destroyed by Super Typhoon Odette in 2021. The new center will host women-led agriculture and livelihood trainings, feature a cold storage facility for the fresh produce the women harvest, and serve as a disaster response hub to help the more than 20,000 residents of Del Carmen prepare for and respond to future climate disasters. USAID Energy Secure Philippines will help power the building with renewable energy, boosting resilience and reducing emissions.
Kukamanu Uka Women of the Amazon River Help the Environment Through Sustainable Craftsmanship
The 18 inspiring women who make up the Kukamanu Uka del Río Amazonas Indigenous Association in Loreto, Peru, work to preserve the Amazon. They do so in part by increasing the value of non-timber forest products by producing sustainable handicrafts from natural resources. FOREST+—a collaboration between USAID, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Government of Peru—helped the association access a government economic subsidy to grow its business, advancing the group's economic development and supporting their fundamental role in preserving the cultural and environmental heritage of the Amazon region.
Regenerating a Bountiful Forest
Rural communities in Malawi are trained by USAID to restore deforested and degraded forests on government reserves and customary land. This regeneration benefits communities by providing non-timber forest products like mushrooms and fruits, enhancing resilience against climate change. Malawi's forests face severe threats from urban charcoal demand. Restoring these forests aids adaptation and increases carbon sequestration, reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Ensuring Safe Water: Climate Resilience Efforts in Santa Inés
A facilitator from Cooperativa Agropecuaria Nuevo Edén Limitada measures water quality in Santa Inés, Honduras, as part of USAID’s Building Climate Resilience Activity. Increased rainfall, flooding, and temperature changes due to climate change can lead to contamination or reduced water quality. By regularly monitoring water quality, communities can detect and address issues promptly. The communities are restoring watershed function, identifying point pollution, and ensuring a safe water supply despite challenges posed by extreme weather.
Climatelinks
Climatelinks is a global knowledge portal for USAID staff, implementing partners, and the broader community working at the intersection of climate change and international development. The portal curates and archives technical guidance and knowledge related to USAID’s work to help countries mitigate and adapt to climate change.
