Poor people and countries are particularly exposed and vulnerable to climate shocks – to natural disasters that destroy their livelihoods; to water-borne diseases, such as diarrhoea, which has a higher incidence during heat waves, floods or droughts; or to crop failures and food price spikes resulting from extreme weather events.

To end poverty, climate change and its effects on the poor will need to be taken into account in development policies. Even people who are not poor, but who live just above the poverty line, can fall into poverty when a flood destroys a microenterprise or a drought decimates a herd. Climate shocks can reverse decades of work and savings, and generate irreversible human and material losses.

Climate change can intensify and increase the frequency of these shocks, thus hindering poverty reduction. Poverty must also be taken into account in the design of policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

FXB considers that the best way to mitigate the impact of climate change on the poorest is to integrate adaptation measures into its poverty reduction strategies. We are working to continually strengthen these measures to support communities in adapting to climate change and protecting the environment.

FXB USA is partnering with Fundación JUCONI, a leading child rights organization in Puebla, Mexico, to pilot the FXBVillage for Climate Resilience, an adaptation of the pioneering FXBVillage Model, embedding strategies for climate resilience and prevention of pandemics. We believe it is critical not only to lift people out of poverty but to ensure that they can sustain their prosperity even when confronted with global pandemics or climate change disruptions.

FXB has always advocated for human’s rights and climate change is the single greatest issue of our time. As an entrepreneurial-oriented organization, FXB has quickly responded to embed climate into our impactful methodology.