On World Environment Day, communities are leading the way on climate resilience

Every year on June 5, World Environment Day calls on the global community to take action to protect and restore our planet.

It reminds us that environmental sustainability is about more than conserving nature; it also means protecting livelihoods, strengthening resilience, advancing equity, and securing a sustainable future for generations to come.

This year’s World Environment Day theme is "Climate Action" and it comes at a critical moment. Around the world, communities are facing intensifying climate change, environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, food insecurity, water scarcity, and growing economic pressures.

Yet amid these challenges, local communities are also leading some of the most innovative and inspiring solutions.

Across Latin America, Africa and Asia, World Vision Canada is working alongside women, youth, families, and local leaders who are restoring ecosystems, strengthening climate resilience, promoting sustainable livelihoods, and helping communities adapt to a changing environment.

Environmental action starts at the community level

Environmental challenges are deeply interconnected with poverty, inequality, food systems, and economic opportunity. Communities facing environmental degradation are often also the most vulnerable to hunger, displacement, and climate shocks.

That is why World Vision Canada supports integrated, community-led approaches that strengthen both environmental sustainability and human resilience.

Through programs focused on climate-smart agriculture, sustainable livelihoods, women’s leadership, youth empowerment, natural resource management, and community resilience, local communities are developing practical solutions that protect both people and the planet.

Ethiopia: restoring land and strengthening women's leadership

In Ethiopia’s East and West Hararghe zones, communities across seven districts are taking action to protect their environment while improving livelihoods.

Through the RESILIENT-WE project, in partnership with Global Affairs Canada, women and men are adopting practices such as:

• Soil and water conservation
• Supplementary irrigation
• Climate-smart agriculture
• Renewable and energy-efficient technologies
• Early warning systems
• Climate risk mitigation and diversified, resilient livelihoods

The results have been significant. Over four years:

• Knowledge of climate-smart agriculture increased from 4.3 per cent to 78.2 per cent.
• Use of innovative and energy-efficient technologies rose from 8.9 per cent to 70 per cent.

At the same time, women’s leadership has grown dramatically. Participation in community decision-making increased from 2.9 per cent to 39.3 per cent, with more women influencing natural resource management and local development priorities.

By pairing environmental action with women’s empowerment, communities are building stronger, more durable resilience to climate change.

Sri Lanka: women farmers adapting and thriving

In Sri Lanka’s dry zone, climate pressures are making farming increasingly unpredictable.

Through the ACCESS Sri Lanka project, in partnership with Global Affairs Canada, more than 23,000 people, including many women-led households, are gaining the tools and knowledge needed to adapt.

When Cyclone Ditwah caused severe flooding in 2025, communities responded through market gardens and climate-resilient food production systems, helping households recover more quickly.

Here too, women are leading transformation. In the past year alone, 546 women leaders were trained in soil conservation and water management. Women are now mentoring peers, leading local initiatives, and strengthening farmer networks.

For women like Indrani in Sri Lanka, these initiatives are life-changing.

Once facing social exclusion and economic hardship, she received training in climate-smart agriculture, leadership, and business development.

Today, she runs a successful vermicompost business, mentors other women farmers, and is recognized as a leading agro-based entrepreneur in her district.

Young people creating sustainable futures

World Vision Canada’s Youth Ready program, with support from the Barrett Family Foundation and additional Canadian donors, is supporting young women and men to build sustainable livelihoods, strengthen resilience, and contribute to greener, more inclusive economies.

Youth participating in the program are developing skills in climate-smart agriculture, green entrepreneurship, sustainable business development, renewable and energy-efficient technologies, financial literacy, savings and community leadership.

By connecting youth with skills training, entrepreneurship opportunities, and sustainable livelihood pathways, the program helps communities strengthen both economic resilience and environmental sustainability.

Why community leadership matters on World Environment Day and beyond

The experiences of communities in Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, and across Youth Ready programs show that some of the most effective environmental solutions are already happening at the local level, led by women, youth, farmers, and communities themselves.

From restoring soils and conserving water to strengthening climate-smart agriculture and creating sustainable livelihoods, these initiatives demonstrate that environmental action is most powerful when it is inclusive, community-led, and focused on long-term resilience.