Climate denial, interculturalism, and local resistance: challenges for environmental education in Coquí, Colombia

Abstract

This article presents partial results of a research project developed within the framework of the CINDE Foundation's Postdoctoral Research Program in Social Sciences, Children, and Youth, and carried out in the Coquí district, located in the department of Chocó, Colombia.

In this community, a structural problem persists related to limited access to safe water sources, despite the vital importance of this resource in their daily lives. This situation is exacerbated by climate denialism, which minimizes or ignores the already palpable effects of climate change in the region. This denial hinders the formulation of adequate responses, renders the local realities of climate change invisible, and contributes to the reproduction of social and environmental inequalities.

The research aimed to highlight ancestral knowledge related to water as forms of community resistance. To this end, social mapping was used as a participatory tool that allowed residents to express their sense of belonging and the multiple relationships they establish with their natural environment. From this collective exercise, four core categories emerged: the origin of water, the mangrove, the Coquí River, and the ocean. Of these, mangroves acquired special relevance, reflecting a comprehensive understanding of the ecosystem and facilitating a space for dialogue between local knowledge and scientific approaches.

Social mapping made it possible to rescue this ancestral knowledge and strengthen the community's territorial ties. It also highlights the urgent need to move toward environmental education with an intercultural approach, which acts as a key tool against climate denialism and promotes more just, inclusive, and sustainable water management in ecologically vulnerable contexts.