Climatelinks Photo Gallery

Walton Africa Waste Company mobilizes youth to join its waste management initiative in Uganda. Youth volunteers pack market waste including textiles, plastic, and food scraps for pickup to a recycling facility. By reducing the amount of waste dumped into the environment, these youth help prevent soil, water, and air pollution. Pollution not only impacts health and well-being but can also contribute to climate change.

Volunteers with international non-governmental organization TECHO construct climate-resilient housing in Argentina. More frequent and severe weather events can destroy entire neighborhoods, often impacting vulnerable populations the most. TECHO volunteers, some of whom are the same people who will live in the new structures, quickly build sustainable and affordable climate-resilient homes across Latin America and the Caribbean to help address the housing crisis exacerbated by climate change. As they build, they gain a deeper understanding of how climate change directly impacts their communities.

Volunteers with international non-governmental organization TECHO construct climate-resilient housing in Argentina. More frequent and severe weather events can destroy entire neighborhoods, often impacting vulnerable populations the most. TECHO volunteers, some of whom are the same people who will live in the new structures, quickly build sustainable and affordable climate-resilient homes across Latin America and the Caribbean to help address the housing crisis exacerbated by climate change. As they build, they gain a deeper understanding of how climate change directly impacts their communities.

Volunteers with international non-governmental organization TECHO construct climate-resilient housing in Argentina. More frequent and severe weather events can destroy entire neighborhoods, often impacting vulnerable populations the most. TECHO volunteers, some of whom are the same people who will live in the new structures, quickly build sustainable and affordable climate-resilient homes across Latin America and the Caribbean to help address the housing crisis exacerbated by climate change. As they build, they gain a deeper understanding of how climate change directly impacts their communities.

The Green Wings project in Kosovo uses advanced drone technology for reforestation. The drones, equipped with seed bombs, can cover vast areas quickly and effectively, accelerating the reforestation process and ensuring a higher success rate of seed germination and growth. This innovative approach addresses the challenges of reforestation in hard-to-reach and degraded areas. The project is a joint collaboration between the USAID Kosovo Adapt Activity, Sustainability Leadership Kosova (SLK), the Municipality of Prishtina, and Raiffeisen Bank Kosovo. It aligns with global environmental initiatives like the Paris Climate Agreement and the EU Green Deal, contributing to carbon sequestration, soil protection, water cycle regulation, and biodiversity conservation. By integrating cutting-edge technology with strategic partnerships, the Green Wings project paves the way for reforestation and climate adaptation efforts in the region.

A project officer at New Energy Nexus Uganda (NEXU) provides mentoring, coaching, and business support training to staff from SafePlan Uganda in the northwestern part of the country. NEXU incubates, accelerates, and finances last-mile (rural) community-based organizations, agricultural cooperatives, and village savings and loan associations to launch sustainable clean energy enterprises serving Uganda’s off-grid communities. These enterprises sell entry-level clean energy technologies and products such as non-electric water filters, energy-efficient cook stoves, solar kits, and briquettes. Through business training boot camps, mentoring, and coaching, NEXU builds the capacity of local entrepreneurs like SafePlan Uganda staff to grow their businesses, access financing for energy-efficient appliances, and make use of a cloud bookkeeping technology.

Durian farmers in Thailand are successfully adapting to the climate change-driven challenges of unpredictable weather patterns and water scarcity by incorporating more advanced technology into their work. Pan Manee durian farm located in the Na Yai Am District of Chanthaburi Province, Thailand, was an early adopter of Internet-of-Things (IoT)-assisted irrigation systems. This technology enables effective water management, allowing the farmers to provide the precise amount of water that plants need at the right time, improving livelihoods for farmers who depend on durian yields. The local agriculture extension agency designated the farm a learning center to share best practices in IoT irrigation with the community.

USAID supported Agro Impex Ltd, an agriculture producer in southern Georgia, to install the country's first-ever floating solar power station by co-financing the project. The station will slash carbon emissions while generating about 300,000 kWh of electricity each year to irrigate nearby fruit orchards. Because it floats on water, the power station saves valuable agricultural land, reduces water evaporation, and improves solar panel efficiency through natural cooling. This will enable Agro Impex to cut its electricity consumption by 38 percent, allowing it to save about $32,400 annually. With a more efficient business model, Agro Impex hopes to increase production and expand its workforce, which currently includes 150 people from the surrounding area. The company’s managing partner explained the plant’s environmental impact, “The plant will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 3,500 tons over a 30-year period. This is equal to planting 50,000 trees or cultivating a forest spanning 50 hectares."

Drones are revolutionizing modern agriculture in Thailand by enhancing efficiency in spraying and sowing operations for crops like rice, cassava, and durian. By providing consistent spraying, minimizing waste, and lowering costs, drones promote sustainable farming. They also reduce farmers' exposure to harmful chemicals and address challenges such as an aging farming population, labor shortages, and high labor costs. To scale up agricultural drone use, the USDA Thailand Regional Agriculture Innovation Network (RAIN) offers pay-for-performance incentives, partners with community enterprises and CropLife Asia to provide training, and implements a rent-to-buy scheme as part of the Climate Smart Innovation initiative.

A farmer in Thailand uses a modified boat to water his longan trees. Longan, a tree that produces flowers and edible fruit of the same name, is an important income source for farmers in eastern and northern Thailand. Farmers in this region grow longan flowers in May and June to meet the high demand for off-season longan during annual celebrations in January and February, but strong, hot winds threaten the flowers and overall tree growth. This climate-smart innovation suggested by researchers at Mahidol University helps the farmer control the temperature and preserve moisture in his orchard, significantly reducing his annual yield loss.

A local landowner plants a Eucalyptus sapling as part of a community-led reforestation project in Papua New Guinea (PNG). The USAID PNG Lukautim Graun Program, implemented by the Wildlife Conservation Society PNG and PNG Rural Development Inc., aims to plant 20,000 crop and timber trees to reforest the degraded Bisil Ku forests in the Jimi district of Jiwaka. Not only will the project increase forest cover and livelihood opportunities, but it also will help fight climate change by increasing the number of trees available to sequester carbon.

Childfund’s Regreening Africa Project aims to improve climate resilience and adaptive capacity among youth, women, and children in Kenya's Nairobi, Makueni, and Kajiado counties. The project’s youth representative from Kajiado County, pictured here, said, “I have a great vision: To build myself and the people in my community up.” Women and youth lead climate-resilient development activities to improve livelihoods and restore their local ecosystem. Using nature-based solutions, they tackle climate change risks from drought and water scarcity. For example. by planting and operating drought-resistant vegetable nurseries and growing drought-resistant trees such as avocados, oranges, mangoes, and moringa, fruits are readily available during climate stressed periods. Along with the nutritional benefits, these activities also support reforestation, enhance environmental conservation, and help communities be more resilient to climate variability.

A farmer in Laikipia County, Kenya, receives crucial climate smart agriculture information from iShamba, a service linked to the popular East African TV show, Shamba Shape Up. These actionable advisories empower farmers with sustainable farming practices to combat climate change. iShamba collaborates with several partner organizations, including the Kenya Meteorological Department and local farmer cooperatives, to ensure that the knowledge shared is accurate, relevant, and impactful. This is part of a broader effort to enhance agricultural resilience and productivity through evidence-based techniques and community support. It showcases how informed communities can effectively confront climate challenges, secure their livelihoods, and contribute to broader environmental sustainability.

This photo was taken at the World Environment Day Celebration at Kami SDA Primary School on June 5, 2024 in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Pictured is Mr. Tory Kuria from the Wildlife Conservation Society PNG on stage during the talk to the audience. More awareness and advocacy programs need to be done at schools, communities, and public areas to help people better understand the importance of the environment and conservation. The community pledges to look after and at least protect their environment and restore the degraded forests in their land and agricultural plots. The Kami SDA Primary School, WCS PNG, CEPA, PNG Forest Authority, and other stakeholders and community members facilitated the program.

A local artisan stands in front of an improved sanitation structure he built for a local woman and her family of five in Kakamega County, Kenya. He was trained by the USAID Western Kenya Sanitation Project to install high-quality, long-lasting sanitation systems. The project trains artisans in curriculum development, enhanced sales approaches, and sustainable supply chains. During the five-day course, he learned about material selection, basic construction techniques and tools, production line management, latrine types and factors to consider when making a selection, quality control and assurance processes, market-based approaches, and financial management. In western Kenya, access to basic sanitation remains below 30 percent in urban areas and below 50 percent in rural communities. Climate change exacerbates the problem by increasing instances of severe droughts and torrential rains that lead to flooding, affecting sanitation infrastructure.

Phupha Farm in Samut Songkhram Province is Thailand's top expert on stingless bees. These harmless bees have attracted interest from Thai fruit growers who are looking for a way to increase the yields of their orchards and combat the impacts of climate change. Stingless bees double the fruiting rates on tropical plantations, leading to higher yields. They are also easier to house than regular honeybees, contribute to biodiversity, and produce honey that can be sold at a higher price than regular honey.