Guatemala: Adapting to climate change

Guatemala is one of the most affected countries by climate change and one of the most vulnerable to natural disasters, such as tropical storms, droughts, hurricanes and earthquakes according to the Global Climate Risk Index, reports Tico Times.

“[Natural disasters] have had serious consequences for the country: loss of infrastructure due to landslides and floods, loss of harvest causing food shortages and loss of natural space,” said José Luis Rivera, coordinator of Guatemala’s Climate Change Unit, an initiative set up by the Environment and Natural Resources Ministry. “In the last decade we have suffered dry spells and floods that have caused loss of life and severe socioeconomic damage, in addition to putting rural communities, especially women, children and indigenous populations at risk.”

To combat the effects of climate change, drought and flood resistant crops have been developed locally, and universities have introduced climate change adaptation related courses.