Climate change vulnerability: analyzing Colombian case.
Colombia, such as the majority of the Latin American Countries, presents a high vulnerability towards the possible effects that climate change could bring. However, there are several ways to measure the “level” of vulnerability, since the different approaches and criteria’s involved.
The Second National Communication highlights the degradation of ecosystems (mainly forests, moors, glaciers and bodies of water), the extended agriculture activities (coffee production) and its impacts on water supply, the infrastructure, and high percentage of people living in high- risk areas, as the main vulnerabilities for Colombia. This document is an important input for public policy design and institutional building on Climate Change.
The analysis made by the Climate Vulnerability Monitor- CVM- also covers the same topics, but goes further in the examination of social-related vulnerabilities. For example, the criteria used to establish the level of vulnerability, considerate impacts on human health, related malnutrition, malaria, diarrheal and other kind of diseases. Moreover, it looks in a deeper way the “economic stress” measured by the sectoral distribution of economy, inequality, poverty and economic growth. Even there is a shared purpose of both documents; this one has a special emphasis to help in the design of actions to avoid harm to communities. Colombia has a “moderate” vulnerability, with higher risks on weather disasters and economics issues.
The GAIN offers a more business –oriented approach of vulnerability analysis and outputs. Under this approach Colombia has a low vulnerability and high readiness, which means a low necessities of investment. The criteria used add the readiness that a country has to improve resilience.
Even all of the three approaches consider reasonable and pertinent issues to determine the vulnerability of Colombia in terms of climate change; it is vital to take into account the institutional capacity. For example, a solid regulatory and institutional base for risk management (related to disasters or high-impact climate change events), the lack of studies and base lines to monitor and evaluated the risk and the mitigations measures, as well as the human capabilities related to education, training, and awareness, are relevant issues that should be consider as well. However, the CVM is a good and broad approach to analyze, understands and make decisions related to climate change and its possible effects on our society.
Reference:
Barba, D, Bedoya M (and others): “Segunda Comunicación Nacional ante la Convención Marco de las Naciones Unidas sobre Cambio Climático”. Ministro de Ambiente, Vivienda y Desarrollo Territorial de Colombia. Bogota D.C., Junio 2010.
DARA:”Climate vulnerability monitor.The state of the climate crisis”. DARA and the Climate Vulnerable Forum. 2010
Global Adaptation Index. Colombia’n ranking. http://index.gain.org/country/colombia. Consulted: 07/02/12
Comments Off on Climate change vulnerability: analyzing Colombian case. /
10 Feb 2012
por
Diana Patricia Sanchez Barajas
IMSD /
.png)
].gif)
.png){kind=logo}
].png)
].png)
].png)
].png)
.png){kind=logo}
].png)
.png){kind=logo}
