Transcript Vulnerabilities of Developing Countries to Climate Change

Vulnerabilities of Developing
Countries to Climate Change
• Developing countries more vulnerable
– Fewer resources to adapt
• Socially, technologically, financially
– Climate change impacts depend on:
• Climate, geographical, social, cultural, economic
and political situations
– Common sectors impacted
• Agriculture, water resources, coastal zone,
biodiversity, terrestrial ecosystems.
Adaptation
• Process by which societies make
themselves better able to cope with
uncertain future
Adaptation Options
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Technological –e.g. sea walls, houses on stilts
Behavioral – less water use in droughts
Mosquito netting
Warning systems for extreme events
Better water management
Improved risk management
Insurance
Biodiversity conservation
Regional Impacts of Climate
Change--Africa
• Feeling pressure from climate stresses
• Some areas = most variable climate
– Go from drought to floods in months to
decades
– Lead to famine, etc
– 1/3 African people live in drought prone areas
– 220 million exposed to drought each year
Factors Compounding Impacts of
Climate Variability in Africa
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Poverty
Illiteracy
Lack of skills
Weak institutions
Limited infrastructure
Lack of technology and information
Poor education
Poor health care
Lack of access to resources
Armed conflicts
Other issues in Africa
• Desertification
• Overexploitation of land resources e.g.
forests
• Population increases
• With climate change, African climate more
variable
• Extreme weather more frequent & severe
• Increased coastal flooding due to sea level
rise
• Increased water scarcity lead to conflicts
– River basins transnational
• Agriculture relies on rainfall
• Climate change = agricultural land lost
– Shorter growing seasons
Diseases, climate change and
Africa
• Africa vulnerable to malaria, tuberculosis,
diarrhea
• Climate change = increased temperatures =
migration of diseases to new areas and higher
latitudes
– E.g. Malaria mosquito migration to higher areas
exposes more people in densely populated highlands
• Increased diseases interact with existing
diseases such as HIV/AIDS shortens life
expectancy
• Interaction of diseases with wars also decreases
life spans—also leads to malnutrition
Climate Change and African
Ecosystems
• Species migration and habitat reduction
• Habitat reduction
– Agriculture expansion & habitat destruction
– Pollution
– Poaching
– Civil war
– Population growth
• Western lowland Gorilla is endangered
and will decline
Climate Change and Sea Level
Rise -- Africa
• 30% of coastal countries vulnerable
• Impact urban center and ports e.g. Cape
Town, Maputo, Dar Es-Salaam
Climate Change Impacts and Asia
• Asia is largest continent
– Many different climate zones
– Many environmental issues
• Land/ecosystems degraded = decreased food security
• Water and air quality degraded
– Consumption and waste generated
• Subject to many natural hazards
– E.g. 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, 2005 Pakistan Earthquake,
2006 landslides in Philippines
• Increase extreme weather
– E.g. heat waves, cyclones, intense rainfall, dust storms
– Lead to hunger & disease
Climate Change, Rainfall, & Asia
• Rainfall will increase over most of Asia
– Increased flooding
– Decreased food production; up to 30%
decrease in crop yield.
Climate Change, Glaciers & Asia
• Increase melting in Himalayas
– Lead to flooding, erosion, mudslides in Nepal,
Bangladesh, Pakistan, north India
– Melting corresponds with monsoon season
• Increase in flood disasters
– Melting = loss of glaciers, change in snowline
• Less water for rivers = less water for people
• 1 billion people could face water shortage
Climate Change, Health, & Asia
• Epidemics of malaria, dengue & other vector
diseases
• SE Asia = greatest climate change related
diarrhea & malnutrition
– Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Bhutan = more
diarrhea diseases = more illness and death
– Cholera will increase illness and death
• Increase heat waves and humidity compound
issues
– Old people and poor urban population susceptible
– Heat and poor air quality = smog caused illnesses
Climate Change, Ecosystems, &
Asia
• Coastal areas most impacted
– Sea level rise, increased ocean temperatures,
changes in salinity change fish breeding
areas and fish supply
– Coastal communities impacted
Sea Level Rise & Asia
• Rising sea level may flood millions of
residences
– SE and E Asia vulnerable
• Viet Nam, Bangladesh, India, China
• 30 coral reefs lost in next 10 years, maybe up to
88% in 30 years
Climate Change and Latin America
• Includes most of world’s biodiversity
• Many different ecosystems, climate zones,
topography,
• Water, agriculture, health sectors, Andean
glaciers, the Amazon
• Area experiences El Ninos & flooding &
disease; also hurricanes egg. Honduras &
Nicaragua, economic losses
• NE Brazil subject to drought
Climate Change, Glaciers & Latin
America
• Glaciers will melt
– Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Peru in Andes depend
on seasonal melt water
• For water supply and hydroenergy
– E.g. Chacaltaya Glacier, Bolivia
• Will disappear in 15 years
Climate Change, Rainfall, & Latin
America
• Not sure how climate change will impact
rainfall
– But dry areas will receive less rain
• Less food security, degraded agricultural land
– Generally, agricultural yields expected to
decrease
Climate Change, Health, & Latin
America
• Major climate change risks are on health
– Heat stress due to urban heat islands in
megacities
– Transmittable diseases
• Malaria, dengue, cholera
• Rodent-borne diseases could also increase after
floods droughts e.g. hantavirus
• Increased droughts due to warmer, drier climates =
more fires= more pulmonary diseases
Climate Change, Ecosystems &
Latin America
• Amazon basin = 40% of remaining tropical
forest
– Earth’s richest biodiversity
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1000’s of plant species
700 fish species
1000 bird species
Over 300 mammalian species
– Increased loss of forests lead to loss of
species
– Loss of forests leads change in climate
Climate Change, Sea level, & Latin
America
• Low-lying coastal areas in Argentina,
Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador,
Guyana, Mexico, Panama, El Salvador,
Uruguay, Venezuela will be impacted
• Will impact buildings and tourism, shape of
coasts, drinking water supply (e.g. Costa
Rica), coral reefs (Mexico, Belize,
Panama), and fish stocks
Climate Change and Small Islands
• Include 51 states and territories in Pacific,
Indian, Atlantic, Caribbean Sea
• Very vulnerable to climate change
– Large settlements near coast
– Water resources, land use, & biodiversity are
important issues related to sea level rise
– Increase population and poor use of resources also
issues
– Cyclones and storm surges, tropical storms, coastal
erosion impact infrastructure
Climate Change, Water Supply,
And SIDS
• Increased salt water encroachment due to
sea level rise
– Leads to loss of fresh water
• Less rainfall due to climate change
– Leads to loss of fresh water
Climate Change, Agriculture and
SIDS
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May have increased droughts
Shorter growing seasons
Poor soils
Lead to economic losses, less food
security,
• Agricultural land also threatened by sea
level rise
• Low-lying islands impacted the most
Climate Change, Health, & SIDS
• Higher temperatures & decreased water
supply lead to increased diarrheal and
infectious diseases
• Droughts and flooding increase disease
susceptibility
Climate Change, Sea Level, &
SIDS
• Rise in sea level leads to
– Increased coastal erosion
– 1 meter rise will lead to disappearance of
Maldives
• Sea level rise, extreme events will lead to
loss of tourism and economies will suffer.
– Barbados – 70% of hotels located within 250
meters of water or in the inundation zone