Adaptation to climate change and ecosystem degradation

The countries of Latin America and the Caribbean have diverse realities, but exhibit some common characteristics with major implications for the impacts that the region faces from climate change and its adaptation needs.

First, as discussed in chapters 1 and 3, the economies of the region show high income inequality, and income is generally medium or low. The high incidence of poverty increases the need for public policies to reduce its impact on vulnerable groups.

Second, the region exhibits a high and growing level of urbanization, with inadequate planning. It also shows gaps in basic infrastructure, which increases its needs for adaptation and interventions from the State.

Third, in many countries of the region, the population is concentrated in coastal areas, which are exposed to rising sea levels and, therefore, to the greater frequency and intensity of storms and the resulting storm surges. This is particularly the case in the Caribbean, where about one-fifth of the land area and 12 % of the population is less than 10 meters above sea level.

Fourth, the economic structure of the region is heavily dependent on the agricultural sector, which accounts for 15 % of employment on average and around 30 % in seven countries (Brassiolo et al., 2023). This sector is particularly vulnerable to the changes already experienced and expected in rainfall and temperature regimes as a result of global warming.

Adaptation policies seek to reduce the impacts of climate change on health, contribute to well-being, food security, biodiversity conservation and risk and damage reduction (IPCC, 2022b). Considering the characteristics of the region, adaptation priorities can be classified into three groups: the agricultural sector, resilient cities and infrastructure, and targeted policies for vulnerable populations.

Policies for adaptation in the agricultural sector aim, in the first place, to strengthen the resilience of farming systems to the impacts of climate change, through practices that optimize water and soil use and make them more resistant to extreme weather events, such as droughts and floods. This involves the development of climate information systems, land use planning, including changes in the choice of crops according to plots, the development and adoption of varieties resistant to expected changes, and the enlargement of irrigated land in areas affected by water stress. Water management requires investments in both traditional infrastructure and nature-based solutions: dams for irrigation water storage and flood prevention, construction and expansion of stream capacity to improve drainage, and leveraging ecosystems—mangroves, inland wetlands, forests—to moderate water cycles (Brassiolo et al., 2023; IPCC, 2022b).

Second, access to insurance mechanisms and credit must be developed and strengthened. Agricultural insurance, production financing and futures markets make it possible to improve risk management for agricultural producers and remove the financial barriers that prevent necessary investment.

In the urban and infrastructure sector, territorial planning and management and the development of resilient infrastructure are the most important instruments. Planning for urban expansion and infrastructure (e.g., transportation, energy and communications) must take into account possible changes in climate conditions, contemplating the uncertainty associated with projected scenarios. Additionally, information systems have a prominent role in guiding the decisions of households and developers, including the dissemination of information on environmental risks with spatial granularity and forecasting and early warning systems (De la Mata et al., 2022).

Resilient infrastructure has the ability to cope with extreme environmental conditions (rainfall, wind, storm surges), for example, through greater resistance or better location. Some key dimensions where greater resilience is required are infrastructure to prevent coastal erosion (e.g. seawalls), infrastructure for rainfall drainage in cities, electricity transmission and distribution networks that suffer efficiency losses due to high temperatures and must adapt their consumption to cooling needs, and the energy transition, among others.

The Caribbean is right in the middle of the Atlantic hurricane belt, and the season runs from June to November. So, every year, there will be at least one hurricane hitting the Caribbean islands, sometimes more than one, and they can be very destructive. And many of these islands are small, so it’s hard for them to withstand their effects. There’s nothing the Caribbean islands can do about it. They have to try to build hurricane-resistant housing, make sure they have adequate drainage systems, but there’s not much they can do except to be prepared.

Based on an interview with Colm Imbert

I want us to move toward solutions that build the structures, that invest in the technologies we need to make sure that our early warning systems are as strong as possible and that our systems for rebuilding and regrouping are as robust as possible.

Based on an interview with Karen-Mae Hill

Nature-based solutions (or green infrastructure) play a central role in adaptation in cities and coastal areas and reduce the need for traditional (or gray) infrastructure. For example, reopening urban watercourses next to green areas allows moderating water cycles and preventing flooding; restoring mangroves, coral reefs and oyster barriers allows absorbing wave energy and reducing coastal erosion; restoring and removing debris and waste from creeks and watercourses reduces the risk of flooding.

Territorial planning in urban areas must be implemented effectively. This implies challenges in the region, since informal occupations are recurrent and tend to be located in sites with high exposure to environmental risks. Urban policies targeting vulnerable groups must address the dual challenge of improving the quality of housing and the environment of informal neighborhoods. This amplifies their adaptive capacity, while avoiding growth in regions with high exposure to risks, where adaptation entails high costs. Policies to improve labor inclusion (chapter 3), increasing income and diversifying their sources, are strongly complementary to climate adaptation objectives.