Development projects must be a melding of new technology and indigenous skills to ensure the best chances of adapting to climate change, says Guatemalan group Rijatzul Q’ij.
Iván Azurdia Bravo, a senior advisor for Rijatzul Q’ij, Semilla de Sol – a non-profit group aimed at developing climate resilience in Central and Southern America – believes that Western technological advances are a key part of climate adaptation.
However, Bravo says these must be combined with traditional, local skills that are specifically suited to particular regions or countries to have the best chances at building climate resilience.
Rijatzul Q’ij aims to promote the synchronisation of these methods to build capacity and resilience in rural communities hit by climate change.
Speaking at the first conference of the Low Carbon Energy for Development Network, Bravo talked to RTCC about getting the most out of the capacity for renewable energies in Central and Southern America, and how successful combining these different methods has been for Mayan communities in Guatemala.