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- Latin America closes ranks on climate change
Latin America closes ranks on climate change
Fernando Sánchez
LATIN AMERICA - As Latin American countries come closer to an agreement on their proposals for December's climate change summit in Copenhagen, a study of 166 nations has revealed that Haiti, Somalia and Afghanistan are the world's most vulnerable nations to the effects of global warming. Honduras heads the list in Spanish-speaking Latin America.
Meetings of the "Latin American and Caribbean Dialog towards Copenhagen" resumed on Sept. 2, reported EFE, at the headquarters of the U.N. Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). Negotiators were given the opportunity to exchange opinions and prepare strategies to curb drastic climate change.
Two days later, Mercosur environment ministers met in Montevideo, and released a statement stressing the importance of identifying member countries' vulnerabilities to climate change ahead of the Copenhagen summit. Uruguayan Environment Minister Carlos Colacce said, according to EFE, that the bloc agrees with the U.N. Secretary General that global warming is creating a "catastrophic" situation.
The study carried out by risk analysts at the U.K. firm Maplecroft found, according to AFP, that Honduras tops the Climate Change Vulnerability Index in Spanish-speaking Latin American countries, while Haiti tops the world-wide list.
At the bottom of the index, countries with the least risk include Norway, Finland and Japan. In the Americas, Honduras numbers 41 in the global rankings, followed by Guatemala (45), Bolivia (50) and Nicaragua (55). All are considered "high risk" countries. The least vulnerable, according to AFP, are "low-risk" Chile (143) and Uruguay (133). Slightly higher on the list are "medium-risk" countries such as Argentina (123) and Costa Rica (110).
Maplecroft environmental analyst Fiona Place told El Heraldo that the index, which combines research carried out by international bodies, goes beyond "geographical" vulnerability, such as the exposure of particular regions to rising sea levels, and looks at "what is going to impact human populations."
The index is based on six categories of variables: economy, institutions and governance, development and health, ecosystems, resource security, population distribution and infrastructure. The countries are ranked on a scale from zero to ten, according to AFP, where a rating of 2.5 or below indicates extreme risk, and 7.5 or above indicates a slight risk.
Source; http://infosurhoy.com
