Incidence and planning

The Atlantic Territorial Caravan was a community-based organizing and climate advocacy event that brought together communities, women leaders, and youth from the Colombian Caribbean to address the region's climate and ecological emergency. The gathering highlighted the impacts of rising sea levels, coastal erosion, and mangrove loss, strengthening a collective narrative of territorial defense. The Caravan promoted territorial feminisms, regional coordination, and climate justice tools, such as the Declaration of Climate and Ecological Emergency for the Atlantic, litigation for the rights of nature, and community participation through culture and citizen mobilization.

Civil society in Colombia has successfully influenced policies and legal actions in support of the rights of nature, the defense of life, and a healthy environment. These efforts have resulted from collective efforts that reflect the importance of designing territorial pathways for climate action—pathways that are embraced by the citizenry. In this context, and with the declaration of a climate emergency in the department of Atlántico, we aim to contribute to strengthening the capacities of activists, defenders, and social movements to formulate a climate emergency declaration, a political advocacy tool for raising the profile of climate change issues at both the local and national levels.

We support cities like Pasto that are working to contribute to the implementation of climate change actions. Through its Environmental Management Secretariat, the city established the formulation of the Comprehensive Territorial Climate Change Management Plan (PIGCCT) in its Development Plan, “Pasto, The Great Capital 2020-2023,” in order to comply with the Framework Law and the National Climate Change Policy, as well as the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate. This initiative was supported by Barranquilla+20.