Climatelinks Photo Gallery

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 and local partners, who conducted a study on the value of ecosystem services these mangroves provide.

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.

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 will help power the building with renewable energy, boosting resilience and reducing emissions.

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. 

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.

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 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.

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.

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. USAID helped build the capacity of Indonesia’s state-owned electricity company to manage integrating the new energy source into the country’s power system.

In Puerto Lleras, Meta, Colombia, a community member submits their land rights claim during a USAID-led municipal-wide effort 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.

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. 

Aishat provides antenatal care in Kebbi State, Nigeria, with light from a Solar Suitcase donated and installed by We Care Solar and facilitated by the USAID Integrated Health Program 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. 

Olga Rakhrakhadze, a private sector installer of automated hybrid energy systems, inspects and monitors solar photovoltaic systems in Bazaleti, Georgia. Olga is a graduate of a USAID-supported training program for renewable energy. 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.

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.

This photo captured on May 1, 2024, shows activities carried out at in the Wetland Cocha Amalia, a key area within the Crees Foundation For Manu’s Biological Station, known as the “Manu Learning Centre”, located in the Manu Biosphere Reserve, Peru. 

It shows a volunteer engaged in forestation and revegetation activities taking place in the wetland aiming to restore this valuable ecosystem. This project is dedicated to enhancing biodiversity conservation efforts and the long-term health of the wetland.

The approach confronts climate change by planting native plant species to restore this ecosystem that was previously affected by intensive productive activities such as agriculture and livestock farming. This restoration seeks to enhance the ecosystem for biodiversity to return and promote the ecosystem’s resilience. Additionally, this initiative is integrating conservation and sustainable development by training local communities to protect and maintain this wetland. The initiative represents a Natural Climate Solution, driven by Crees Foundation For Manu.

Feed the Future Tanzania Kilimo Tija (Horticulture Productivity) agronomist and extension specialist, Simon Michael Mabula (in blue), empowers young farmers in Njombe with climate-smart solutions during a local greenhouse exposure visit in February 2024. During the session, the agronomist provided enthusiastic young farmers with knowledge to combat climate change effects using climate smart technologies, boost horticulture yields, and build sustainable farming businesses.

By engaging parents and the community through Parent-Teacher Partnerships (PTPs), USAID’s Jifunze Uelewe (Learn to Understand) project in Tanzania ensures children like Samira have a supportive environment in which to learn. Tanzania has seen an unprecedented rise in temperature, with averages ranging between 27°C and 29°C (80°F and 84°F), especially along the coast and on the island of Zanzibar. PTPs help construct water wells and tanks in schools so learners have access to basic services like clean drinking water, meaning they can continue to learn uninterrupted by the changing climate.