Latin American integration does not extend to climate change

Emilio Godoy in the Guatemala Times via Tierramérica: The foreseeable absence of binding agreements to stabilize the global climate could give rise to increased regional cooperation to help Latin American countries adapt to the severe effects of climate change. A few initiatives have taken the first steps. But the results of the 17th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 17), taking place Nov. 28 to Dec. 9 in Durban, South Africa, could act as a catalyst for faster movement in this direction.

In August, Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama joined forces to establish the Intergovernmental Program for Climate Change Cooperation-Opportunities and Challenges in Agriculture (PRICA-ADO), which seeks to create a scientific-technical network, build the capacities of national and regional agencies, and support governments in the design and implementation of public policies.

The changes already observed in the agricultural sector highlight "the need for land management and agriculture models with the capacity to foresee and adjust to these changes," project leader Martha Alviar, a specialist in geomatics and land planning, told Tierramérica at the Mexican offices of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture.

Also crucial are public policies for climate change adaptation in areas such as land planning, technological development, risk financing, infrastructure, conservation strategies, and knowledge and use of environmental assets, explained Alviar.

The Caribbean and Mesoamerica (southern Mexico and Central America) are particularly exposed to severe droughts and devastating hurricanes. Agriculture is impacted by changing patterns in the frequency and intensity of rainfall, alterations in soil conditions and variations in crop yields....

Quetzaltenango farm highlands in Guatemala, shot in 2009 by Chensiyuan, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported