La Gestión de Riesgos de Eventos Extremos y Desastres en América Latina y el Caribe: Aprendizajes del Informe Especial (SREX) del IPCC

This report synthesizes key findings from the IPCC's Special Report on Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters (SREX), specifically focusing on the implications for Latin America and the Caribbean. It examines the interaction between climate change, human factors, and the natural environment to assess disaster risk and provides guidance on integrating disaster risk management (DRM) with climate change adaptation and sustainable development.

• Disaster risk is increasing in many countries regardless of climate change, driven primarily by the growing exposure of vulnerable people and assets, such as the expansion of informal settlements in Colombia, Venezuela, and Peru.
• Evidence since 1950 indicates that climate change has already altered the frequency and magnitude of some extreme weather events. For example, floods in Brazil in July 2009 reached levels unprecedented in 106 years of recorded data.
• Projections for the end of the 21st century suggest a significant increase in heat extremes across the region. In Northeast Brazil, the hottest day experienced in the last 20 years of the 20th century is projected to occur annually or biennially by the end of the 21st century, effectively making current extremes the 'normal' temperature.
• Small island states in the Caribbean are particularly vulnerable to sea-level rise, storm surges, and saltwater intrusion into aquifers. More than 50% of the Caribbean population lives within 1.5 km of the coast, placing critical infrastructure like international airports and capital cities at risk.
• Economic losses from climate disasters are rising, with developing countries experiencing higher mortality rates and losses as a proportion of GDP. In extreme cases, individual events can cost up to 200% of annual GDP, as seen with Hurricane Ivan in Grenada in 2004.
• Effective disaster risk management requires a balance between risk reduction, risk transfer (such as insurance), and impact management. Examples of integrating contingencies into budgetary processes are found in Mexico, Colombia, and several Caribbean countries.
• National disaster risk management systems are the foundation of a country's capacity to face climate challenges. Cuba's system, which utilizes civil defense committees at the street and neighborhood level collaborating with central government, is cited as a successful example.
• Mexico has pioneered risk transfer mechanisms by becoming the first transition country to transfer part of its public sector catastrophe risk to international reinsurance and capital markets in 2006.
• The Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF), launched in 2007, provides immediate liquidity to participating governments to cover 50% of estimated costs for assistance and relief, incentivizing investment in risk reduction.
• Synergies between climate adaptation and mitigation can increase cost-effectiveness. An example is the creation of a mosaic of over 30 million hectares of biodiversity-rich forest reserves in Brazil, which is estimated to reduce emissions by 1.8 billion tons of carbon by avoiding deforestation.

APA

Cameron, C., Norrington-Davies, G., & Velde, V. T. (2012). La Gestión de Riesgos de Eventos Extremos y Desastres en América Latina y el Caribe: Aprendizajes del Informe Especial (SREX) del IPCC. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Aprendizajes-del-Informe-Especial-ALC-14.pdf

Chicago

Cameron, Catherine, Gemma Norrington-Davies, and Victoria te Velde. La Gestión de Riesgos de Eventos Extremos y Desastres en América Latina y el Caribe: Aprendizajes del Informe Especial (SREX) del IPCC. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2012. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Aprendizajes-del-Informe-Especial-ALC-14.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Cameron |first1=Catherine |last2=Norrington-Davies |first2=Gemma |last3=Velde |first3=Victoria te |title=La Gestión de Riesgos de Eventos Extremos y Desastres en América Latina y el Caribe: Aprendizajes del Informe Especial (SREX) del IPCC |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=2012 |url=https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Aprendizajes-del-Informe-Especial-ALC-14.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cameron2012gestin, author = {Cameron, Catherine and Norrington-Davies, Gemma and Velde, Victoria te}, title = {{La Gestión de Riesgos de Eventos Extremos y Desastres en América Latina y el Caribe: Aprendizajes del Informe Especial (SREX) del IPCC}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2012}, url = {https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Aprendizajes-del-Informe-Especial-ALC-14.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }