Amnesty International warned on Wednesday that the coastal community of Cedeño in the Gulf of Fonseca, Honduras, is experiencing a human rights crisis resulting from climate change impacts that threaten the population’s livelihoods.
Ana Piquer, Amnesty International’s Americas director, said: “The heartbreaking situation facing the people of Cedeño today is the result of years of climate inaction, both by the Honduran state and the international community. Today, their rights to water, food and housing are under threat, which also compromises their right to a dignified life.”
In a new report on climate change impacts in Honduras, the rights group revealed that the Honduran Pacific coast, which has recently been affected by Tropical Storm Crisitna, has experienced a significant loss of territory over the past 22 years due to coastal erosion, which directly undermines the human rights of local communities. The report stressed that despite Honduras’ minimal greenhouse gas emissions, the country is among the most affected by climate change globally. The region around Cedeño in particular is extremely vulnerable to climate-related disasters, such as storm surges and rising sea levels, which seriously threaten the rights of its population, including access to clean water.
Amnesty International reported that the recurrent climate-related events have damaged the water distribution network, which has forced people to seek water from self-dug wells where the water is unsuitable for consumption. Additionally, these repeated events jeopardized people’s food security, as local fishermen noted a decline in their catches due to ecosystem degradation, which not only deprives local communities of a food source but also leaves them with no alternative income opportunities.
The rights organization also underscored that climate-related events have forced many people to leave Honduras for neighboring countries, in addition to increasing internal displacement. Furthermore, Amnesty International found that Honduran authorities’ failure to provide an adequate response to climate change risks has further compounded the situation. It noted that Honduras had no national legislation to address the needs of people affected by climate disasters, particularly regarding the permanent relocation of their homes.
Relatedly, the organization stressed that the lack of climate adaptation measures by authorities is due to limited funding and institutional capacity, which reflects on the broader issue of insufficient international climate finance. On this issue, Amnesty International urged major emitting countries to support low-income countries with adequate funds in the form of grants rather than loans in order to allow the most affected countries to finance climate adaptation and mitigation measures.
Honduras is considered one of the most climate-vulnerable countries globally, with projections indicating that climate-related events, such as hurricanes, rising sea levels, and floods, will increase in the coming years, underscoring the urgency of implementing appropriate measures to mitigate climate risks and protect people’s rights. Despite the adoption of a resolution confirming states’ obligation to combat climate change, the UN warned that persistent harmful human activities are seriously deteriorating the health of the world’s oceans.
