Education and volunteer training, Humanitarian action, Internactional

CADENA translates Sphere’s guidebook on climate resilience: an urgent tool, now in Spanish

June 13, 2025

By CADENA

Over the past 20 years, communities around the world have experienced the most devastating effects of climate change, with a more than 40% increase in the sudden onset of climate and climate change-related disasters (IFRC, 2022).
It is expected that by 2030, around 150 million people per year will require humanitarian assistance due to these events. By 2050, this figure could reach 200 million (IFRC, 2019).

A more complex and frequent crisis

The most recent IPCC report (2023) warns that multiple extreme weather events are likely to intensify and occur simultaneously in the coming years if global warming continues. Against this backdrop, the response capacity of the humanitarian sector is threatened by increasingly frequent, protracted and intense emergencies.

We must rethink our relationship with nature

To meet these challenges, it is urgent to rethink the way we work in the humanitarian sector.
The nature-based solutions (NBS)-actions that address social, economic, and environmental challenges through the care and sustainable use of ecosystems-offer a concrete opportunity to strengthen disaster prevention, response, and recovery (Sphere, 2023).

CADENA and community resilience in Chiapas

Since 2018, at CADENA we have worked in communities such as Miguel Hidalgo, Chiapas, implementing long-term solutions with an environmental focus, including:

Reinforcement of adobe houses
Ecological stoves and cisterns built with natural materials
Workshops on hygiene, nutrition and waste management
A community garden to promote food sovereignty

These actions show that humanitarian aid does not have to go against environmental care. On the contrary, nature can be an ally to build resilience and autonomy in vulnerable communities.

A new Spanish-language guide for the humanitarian sector

Within the framework of this vision, Sphere launched in 2024 the guide Nature-Based Solutions for Climate Resilience in Humanitarian Contextswhich CADENA had the honor of translating into Spanish. This tool is essential for humanitarian organizations seeking to integrate environmental protection as an essential part of their work.

A commitment we share

We are proud to be the focal point of this project and to have contributed to making this knowledge available to the Spanish-speaking world.
We believe that this guide will enable more organizations to work with a holistic approach that protects both people and the ecosystems on which they depend.

Download the Spanish guide here:
https://spherestandards.org/es/resources/guia-sbn/