Work

Energy sovereignty and climate adaptation: A community model for empowering maya women in Ixil, Yucatan

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Despite growing recognition of gender dimensions in climate adaptation and energy transitions, Indigenous women's agency in constructing climate knowledge and leading community-controlled renewable energy initiatives remains underexplored, particularly in Latin American contexts. This participatory action research examines how Maya women in Ixil, Yucatán, construct climate vulnerability and achieve multidimensional empowerment through solar irrigation technologies. Employing a novel methodological approach that structures participatory action research as simultaneous knowledge generation and community empowerment, we conducted 24 months of fieldwork (2022–2024), combining guided territory walks, memory journeys, focus groups, and ethnographic observations to document women's experiences with solar energy adoption and climate adaptation strategies. Findings reveal that Ixil women developed "situated climatic vulnerability," an experiential understanding of environmental change grounded in intergenerational memory and daily practice. Through solar technology appropriation, women achieved multidimensional empowerment: technical mastery (solar panel maintenance, hurricane preparedness), economic autonomy (reduced fuel costs, diversified income through flower cultivation), political organization (collective territorial defense against real estate pressures), and cultural revitalization (integration of renewable energy with Maya cosmology). The study introduces the "territory-body-energy" nexus, expanding decolonial feminist theory, and the "colloquia construction of climate vulnerability," challenging technocratic methodologies. These findings demonstrate that community-controlled energy transitions led by Indigenous women offer transformative pathways for climate adaptation that prioritize social justice, cultural continuity, and territorial sovereignty. We recommend policy frameworks that support Indigenous energy sovereignty, incorporate traditional ecological knowledge, and center women's leadership in climate adaptation strategies for the Global South.

Source: Environmental Science & Policy

DOI: 10.1016/j.envsci.2026.104345

Authors: Alejandra Vega-Camarena, Iris Santos-González, Marcela Torres-Wong, Rebeca Rosado Medina, Amina El Mekaoui

Institutions: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Secretaría de Ciencia, Humanidades, Tecnología e Innovación, Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales Sede Académica México, Autonomous University of Campeche, Autonomous University of Yucatán

Language: English

Topic: Gender, Education, and Development Issues

Subfield: Education

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Climate action, Gender equality, Reduced inequalities, Affordable and clean energy

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,250