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

The document outlines the interaction between climate change, human vulnerability, and disaster risk in Latin America and the Caribbean. It emphasizes that while climate change is altering the frequency and intensity of extreme events, human factors—such as unplanned urbanization and poverty—are primary drivers of increasing disaster impacts. The report advocates for an integrated approach that combines disaster risk management (DRM) with climate change adaptation (CCA) and sustainable development, moving from incremental to transformational changes in governance and infrastructure.

• Disaster risk is increasing in many countries regardless of climate change because more vulnerable people and assets are being exposed to extreme events, specifically citing growing informal settlements in Colombia, Venezuela, and Peru.
• Evidence since 1950 indicates that climate change has already altered the magnitude and frequency of some extreme weather events in certain global macro-regions; for example, July 2009 floods in Brazil reached levels unprecedented in 106 years of records.
• Projected climate changes for the end of the 21st century (scenarios A2/A1B) indicate a likely increase in warm days and warm nights across the Amazon, Northeast Brazil, Southeast South America, the West Coast of South America, and Central America/Mexico.
• Small island states in the Caribbean are particularly vulnerable to sea-level rise, storm surges, and saltwater intrusion into aquifers, with over 50% of the population living within 1.5 km of the coast.
• Economic losses from climate and weather disasters are increasing, with developing countries experiencing higher mortality rates and higher economic losses as a proportion of GDP compared to developed nations.
• The report highlights that extreme heat can cause deaths even in tropical countries where populations are acclimated, citing a study that observed higher mortality on very hot days in cities like Salvador, Brazil.
• Effective disaster risk management requires a balance between risk reduction, risk transfer (such as insurance), and impact management, with examples of budget contingencies in Mexico, Colombia, and Caribbean countries.
• Synergies between mitigation and adaptation can increase cost-effectiveness; for instance, Brazil's creation of a biodiversity-rich forest reserve of over 30 million hectares is estimated to have reduced 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} }