Climate Resilience & Sustainability

Growing in Our Capacity To Address Climate Change

A plowed field

Compassion is doing our part to address the effects of climate change, protecting our God-given environment and those who call it home.

A plowed field

How We Work

Compassion’s Growing Capacity To Address Climate Change & Environmental Degradation

Compassion is committed to addressing the effects of climate change and environmental degradation in every level of our organization. We firmly believe that we are called to be stewards of God’s creation and we work to address and mitigate the impacts of a changing climate at both the local and global level.

Among our goals is the development and enhancement of climate services, as well as assisting national offices and local communities in:

  • Climate resilience planning.
  • Child-focused climate change adaptation.
  • Awareness raising through environmental education.
  • Environmental sustainability focused on nutritious food, clean energy and safe water.

Our emerging climate-focused services include:

  • Organizational sharing of climate information and research with national offices and affected communities.
  • Monitoring and tracking to anticipate the impacts of climate change and environmental degradation.
  • Using satellite data as an early warning system.
  • Visualizing food insecurity data for Compassion communities.

This informs local decision-makers and enables Compassion to target responses to the global food crisis.

Child-Focused Climate Adaptation

Officers of vulnerable countries are adopting child-focused climate adaptation and disaster preparedness. One initiative is the Participatory Approach for Safe Shelter Awareness, from the Philippines, that is modified specifically to address youth.

This tool equips youth with rapid response protocols for disasters and solicits innovations to build resilience for future disasters and climate impacts.

Raising Youth Awareness of Climate Resilience

Compassion is actively raising youth awareness of climate resilience and environmental sustainability through our Creation Care Toolkit. This toolkit offers resources for youth leadership in creation care awareness and environmental justice advocacy.

Mobilizing Communities for Creation Care

Compassion supports its local church partners in community mobilization for creation care awareness and mitigation through environmental sustainability approaches, including:

  • Ecosystem restoration.
  • Regenerative agriculture.
  • Climate-smart practices.
  • Nature-based solutions.
  • Ecosystem-based watershed management approaches.
  • Ecosystem services improvement.
  • Circular economy practices that promote redemptive, regenerative principles.

Addressing Our Carbon Footprint

Compassion is also addressing the carbon footprint of our operations by:

  • Conducting baseline and periodic measurements of the greenhouse gas emissions resulting from our U.S.-based operations.
  • Transitioning to renewable energy.
  • Recycling.

Other Key Program Areas