On November 6, the 27th Conference of the Parties, COP27, was inaugurated in Sharm el-Sheikh (Egypt). It is the most important annual event on climate change that brings together heads of state, ministers, mayors, activists, civil society representatives and executive directors to address the climate emergency.
At the opening of COP27, the Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, said that humanity must opt for climate solidarity, choosing between cooperating or dying to avoid collective suicide. However, the effects of climate change are differentiated and have more weight in regions such as Latin America, whose territory is particularly vulnerable to natural disasters, despite being responsible for only 10% of global emissions of greenhouse gases.
Climate change defines long-term changes in temperatures and weather patterns. Although these changes are historical and many of them are natural, in the Anthropocene era, or new geological era of humanity, human action is considered the main cause of environmental problems, due to the burning of fossil fuels, such as oil, coal or gas.
Although the Anthropocene concept has great international acceptance, there are those who believe, starting from critical positions, that the destructive effect of human activities on the environment cannot ignore political and economic power relations, as well as the inequalities that characterize them in the global capitalism.
The notion of the Capitalocene, according to these questions, is more appropriate to talk about the devastating impacts caused by our model of production and consumption, as well as the differentiated responsibilities in the current ecological crisis. Beyond the context, the effects of climate change are multiple and include negative consequences on the economy, health and security, but also on food production, ocean temperatures and sea levels, or migration.
Climate change in Latin America and the Caribbean
In our region, the publication “Impacts of climate change in Latin America and the Caribbean”, published by the Inter-American Institute for the Investigation of Global Change and Latin America21, highlights some of the main effects of this phenomenon, ranging from the melting of Andean glaciers to events extreme meteorological events, such as the devastating floods and droughts that occurred in Brazil, Venezuela and Peru, or the hurricanes and typhoons that affect countries such as Cuba and the Dominican Republic.
The work is an effort to disseminate science that seeks to make visible the heterogeneous effects of climate change in the region, but also provides solutions based on science and international cooperation. Thus, it is possible to understand that the rise in sea level and the warming and acidification of the two great oceans that surround the continent, the Pacific and the Atlantic, have consequences for people and animals, as well as economic losses.
An example is the continental shelf of southern Brazil, Uruguay and northern Argentina, one of the largest maritime hotspots in the world. In this area, artisanal fishing in countries like Uruguay is particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change that lead to the reduction or impossibility of fishing, due to the death of fish, as well as red tides and the risks of food poisoning that they entail, which which generates heavy economic losses and forces the local population to change their way of life in order to survive or migrate.
Climate change, along with deforestation and changes in land use, implies greater circulation and geographic distribution of individuals, animals, viruses and disease vectors such as mosquitoes. These transformations, far from being innocuous, multiply the risk of new diseases and the emergence of pandemics.
In Latin America today, there are, for example, dengue outbreaks in cold regions of the Andean region or in Argentine cities with a temperate climate such as Córdoba, while problems in financing the health sector and its poor preparedness in the face of climate risks make us particularly vulnerable to future pandemics.
Education is another affected area. The pandemic has had unprecedented negative effects on learning and dropout rates among children and youth in the region. Events such as extreme heat also impact students’ concentration, development and well-being, while floods or hurricanes destroy school infrastructure and materials and prevent students from receiving adequate training.
In 2020, the devastating passage of hurricanes Eta and Iota caused a humanitarian crisis in Central America and destroyed hundreds of schools in Nicaragua, Guatemala and Honduras.
The increase in migration from the Caribbean or Central America is directly associated with these phenomena and, although it is not a deterministic relationship, it is expected that 17 million Latin Americans will migrate by 2050 due to the effects of climate change.
We are living at a decisive moment in the face of the challenges of the climate emergency. Although the effects of climate change are more pronounced in regions such as Latin America and the Caribbean, the science leaves no room for ambiguity: climate change is a present-day challenge that threatens the well-being and survival of people and the planet.
As the recent IPCC report (2022) showed, with 1.1° of warming, climate change is already causing widespread consequences in all regions of the world and, if we are not able to halve greenhouse gas (GHG) ) in this decade and we immediately promote adaptation policies, the repercussions will be catastrophic.
In this sense, COP27 represents a unique opportunity to prioritize the environmental and climate agenda, as well as to promote solidarity and cooperation on several fronts. It is no longer a choice: there are no alternatives for the planet.
*Translation from Spanish by Giulia Gaspar
With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
