Honduras is a country in Central America, bordered by the Caribbean to the east and the Pacific to the west. Honduras’s climate is hot and tropical in the coastal lowlands and more temperate in the highlands. Forest takes up 41% of the country’s land followed by 27% that is agricultural (World Bank Group, 2021). 82% of the country is mountainous (ibid.). 50% of Honduras’s population lives in rural areas – of which 65% live in poverty – and depend on rainfed agriculture (World Bank Group, 2023). Honduras is highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change due to its high exposure to climate-related hazards (e.g., hurricanes, drought, tropical storms, floods) (ibid.). 

Temperatures are projected to increase by 1-2.5°C by 2050 and extreme rainfall and flood events are expected to become more frequent, along with a reduction in rainfall and an increase in droughts (GRID Geneva, n.d.). This is expected to have a negative effect on hydropower production which currently generates almost 40% of Honduras’s energy as well as on freshwater availability and quality (particularly in the Dry Corridor) (ibid.). Climactic changes are also expected to increase the spread of vector- and waterborne diseases, worsen food insecurity, and higher yield losses due to drought and disease. As temperatures rise, coffee (the main agricultural export) farmers will need to move to higher elevations increasing land degradation (ibid.). Severe climate change effects along with mining, deforestation, and agro-industry has severely threatened livelihoods and human rights, pushing many in poorer communities in Honduras to flee the country (UN, 2023). 

The DNCC (Honduras Climate Change National Office) is responsible for delivering national-level action on adaptation. Honduras’s Country Vision and National Plan (2010) aims to focus on sustainable development whilst minimizing environmental vulnerability and climactic threats. According to GRID Geneva (n.d.) Honduras has made progress in setting up a policy and regulatory framework for addressing climate change but many are yet to be implemented. 

For more than 60 years, CARE has been working with vulnerable groups and reaching thousands of families in Honduras. CARE’s experience in Honduras has allowed it to identify and understand the main problems caused by climate change, which are mainly manifested in rainfall and temperatures patterns, resulting in disasters such as floods and droughts. These disasters have strong economic, environmental, and social impacts that hinder development processes and contribute to increasing the inequality and poverty gaps, especially for the poorest families who are usually the most vulnerable.