Climate Risk and Water Security in the Americas
IAI SGP HD 004 project
3 slides in 9 minutes
Elma MONTAÑA
Los Cabos, Feb. 28 – March 1, 2011
What is the SGP HD 004 project?
• Project title:
“Coming Down the Mountain:
Understanding the Vulnerability of Andean Communities to
Hydroclimatologic Variability and Global Environmental Change”
• Key words: Vulnerability, Adaptation, Community,
Water governance, Future
• Profile: Social sciences, policy and community oriented project
• Case studies: 3 dryland watershed basins in Argentina
(Mendoza), Bolivia (Choquecota/Palca) and Chile (Elqui).
• A 5 country team: 3 in Latin America + Canada & USA (Gauthier)
• Time period: 2009-2011
• Links to the CRN-II 2047 project
What are the interests of SGP HD 004 ?
EXPOSURE
Vulnerability
SENSITIVITY
ADAPTIVE
CAPACITY
VULNERABILITY
Vulnerability
assessment
Objective: To develop an understanding of the vulnerabilities (exposures, sensitivities
and adaptive capacities) of rural people to climate variability in order to advance knowledge
for the development of a robust adaptive capacity to climate change.
1: Assessment of local vulnerabilities
2: Assessment of Governance
3: Assessment of future vulnerabilities
Results and research projections
Findings
• “Double exposures”: Different types of vulnerabilities became interlinked
• A range of vulnerabilities related to the nature of productive systems, economic
and social integration, and localization within the basin.
• Power games in the water governance of these new hydraulic societies
• A limited role of governance in fostering adaptive capacity at the present, due to
limited public investment, different priorities, lack of resources, limited
integration, deficiencies in the management of water allocations, climate policy
deficit, etc.).
• In the context of future climate conditions there is an urgent need to improve
governance to reduce an increasing deficit in adaptive capacity
Forthcoming…
VACEA project aimed at providing new knowledge to strengthen the capacities of
governance institutions and rural populations in Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Chile and
Colombia to adapt to shifts in climate variability and the frequency of extreme events.