Nery Matías Ramos is a young Maya from the Mam ethnic group in the Buena Vista community in Todos Santos Cuchumatán, Guatemala. He has been interested in forests since he was little and now he sees very clearly the problem climate change poses for his population.
“Climate change has severely impacted communities. We became aware of this problem primarily through the question of agricultural production. Before you planted a crop and it gave you a greater harvest; “The rain came at the right time, the lighting conditions were more appropriate, the soil hardly changed, but now the drought has severely affected agriculture,” says Nery, who is 24 years old and is about to complete his agricultural science studies in the department Huehuetenango, two hours from Buena Vista.
Nery is one of thousands of young indigenous people who want to use their voices and actions to curb the effects of climate change in Latin America. However, it is not easy.
Indigenous peoples in Latin America continue to suffer from inequalities and poverty that hinder their full inclusion in the further development of the Latin American region. Centuries of abandonment and exclusion mean that at least 43% of the 42 million people belonging to indigenous communities live in poverty, a number more than double, according to the World Bank report entitled “Indigenous Latin America in the 21st Century.” is high among non-indigenous people living in the same situation.
Inequality and poverty are compounded by the effects of climate change, which is affecting the areas home to indigenous communities, which are home to much of the world’s biodiversity. This is despite the fact that these population groups contribute the least to global warming.
New voices in the face of the climate challenge
Although the challenge is great, the new generations of indigenous peoples, young people like Nery, are beginning to act with the support of local organizations and universities in the region.
At the age of 17, Nery became acquainted with the Utz-Che’ Association, a network of more than 40 local communities and farmers whose mission is to protect Guatemala’s lands and forests and to constantly respond to national policies recognizing collective rights and to pay attention to climate change, which in 2019 was responsible for the acute food insecurity of 34 million people in 25 countries worldwide.
Therefore, Nery began working with the Utz-Che’ Association, which must mediate with external agents so that the forests, the land and the indigenous communities are respected. They also create strategic alliances that are important for the development of the population without violating cultural identity.
For Germán Freire, senior social development specialist in Latin America and the Caribbean at the World Bank, indigenous communities play a fundamental role in curbing global warming.
“Indigenous peoples are key actors in the climate agenda because, although they represent only 5% of the population, they manage about 80% of the world’s biodiversity and are guarantors of large forest areas and ecosystems that are crucial to the well-being of the planet.” , explains and exposes the example of the Amazon rainforest. “Most of the Amazon has been subject to indigenous agroforestry practices at some point in its history, and these interventions remain an essential part of the composition and resilience of the tropical forest.”
Indigenous girl in the Guatemalaworld Bank
For more than a decade, the World Bank has worked with indigenous peoples’ organizations to better understand and leverage traditional knowledge about climate change mitigation and adaptation solutions. Likewise, through direct grants to indigenous organizations and their integration into national programs, the Bank works to promote recognition and strengthening of the significant contributions of indigenous peoples as stewards of the region’s forests and biodiversity.
In addition to the Utz-Che’ Association, they have also created a strategic alliance for the training of new generations of indigenous leaders with the Fund for the Development of the Indigenous Peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean (FILAC), in which Dali Ángel, a young Zapotec from the state Oaxaca in Mexico is the coordinator of the women and youth program.
For Dali, indigenous youth must have a seat at the table in discussions about adaptation and mitigation of the effects of climate change because their future is at stake: “We cannot develop public policies and remedies without consulting them.” This is where the new generations come into play Game who will play a fundamental role because they will be the transmitters of traditional knowledge and knowledge. “It is the new generations who can lead a dialogue in the globalized world.”
Farmer in Chiapas, Mexico. WORLD BANK
In response to these calls, the World Bank launched the Voices of Indigenous Youth for Action on Climate Change program, which will train 90 young people from indigenous peoples in the region. The initiative is led by the Indigenous Fund for Latin America (FILAC) in collaboration with the National Autonomous University of Mexico, the Intercultural Indigenous University, the Indigenous Youth Network, the Abya Yala Indigenous Forum (FIAY) and the Carlos III University of Madrid. aims to strengthen the capacity of indigenous youth across the region to participate more effectively in the climate agenda of their countries and communities.
The innovation of this program is that it equates Western scientific knowledge and the traditional ecological knowledge of communities. For Indigenous participation to be effective, they must understand both sides of the discussion. Dali is aware of the importance of building bridges of dialogue between the two areas of knowledge. “Neither we nor they have all the answers. How can we combine both insights for the benefit of our communities?”
This is the great challenge that young indigenous people like Dali and Nery face. They are their communities’ hope to influence the global climate agenda without abandoning their traditional ecological knowledge. They are the first line of defense to ensure compliance with environmental commitments and help eradicate poverty on a livable planet.