A plan to adapt to glacier retreat in the Andes

The World Bank: The World Bank announced today a new program to address the impact of tropical glacier retreat in Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador. The program, supported by the Global Environmental Facility (GEF), will grant US$7.49 million to implement a set of adaptation actions to face the threats posed by climate change in the Andes. The project totals US$ 33 million and draws from several donors.

The new Adaptation to the Impact of Rapid Glacier Retreat in the Tropical Andes Project (Andes Region Project) in Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador targets mountainous and glacial areas. “Climate change will heavily impact Andean countries’ economies, particularly the poor. Adapting to climate change is crucial given the severe and irreversible effects it will have on the region,” stated Carlos Felipe Jaramillo, World Bank director for Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela, during the project launch in Lima.

The initiative seeks to strengthen the resilience of local ecosystems and economies affected by rapid tropical glacier retreat by implementing pilot adaptation activities that illustrate the costs and benefits of adaptation alternatives….

A view of the Andes by Argentino Lake, image by Calyponte, Wikimedia Commons, under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation license, Version 1.2