Climate change is the defining development challenge of our time. More
than a global environmental issue, climate change and variability
threaten to reverse recent progress in poverty reduction and economic
growth. Both now and over the long run, climate change and variability
threatens human and social development by restricting the fulfillment of
human potential and by disempowering people and communities in reducing
their livelihoods options. Communities across Latin America and the
Caribbean are already experiencing adverse consequences from climate
change and variability. Precipitation has increased in the southeastern
part of South America, and now often comes in the form of sudden
deluges, leading to flooding and soil erosion that endanger people's
lives and livelihoods. Southwestern parts of South America and western
Central America are seeing a decrease in precipitation and an increase
in droughts. Increasing heat and drought in Northeast Brazil threaten
the livelihoods of already-marginal smallholders, and may turn parts of
the eastern Amazon rainforest into savannah. The Andean inter-tropical
glaciers are shrinking and expected to disappear altogether within the
next 20-40 years, with significant consequences for water availability.
These environmental changes will impact local livelihoods in
unprecedented ways. Poverty, inequality, water access, health, and
migration are and will be measurably affected by climate change. Using
an innovative research methodology, this study finds quantitative
evidence of large variations in impacts across regions. Many already
poor regions are becoming poorer; traditional livelihoods are being
challenged in unprecedented ways; water scarcity is increasing,
particularly in poor arid areas; human health is deteriorating; and
climate-induced migration is already taking place and may increase.
Successfully reducing social vulnerability to climate change and
variability requires action and commitment at multiple levels. This
volume offers key operational recommendations at the government,
community, and household levels with particular emphasis placed on
enhancing good governance and technical capacity in the public sector,
building social capital in local communities, and protecting the asset
base of poor households.
