Lições do relatório SREX IPCC na América Latina e no Caribe: Gerenciando Extremos Climáticos e Desastres

This report synthesizes findings from the IPCC Special Report on Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Promote Adaptation to Climate Change (SREX), specifically focusing on the implications for Latin America and the Caribbean. It examines the interaction between climate extremes, human factors, and the environment, emphasizing that disaster risk is increasing due to rising vulnerability and exposure, even independent of climate change.

• Disaster risk is projected to increase in many countries regardless of climate change because more vulnerable people and assets are being exposed to climate extremes, specifically citing growing informal settlements in Colombia, Venezuela, and Peru.
• There is evidence from data since 1950 that climate change has already altered the frequency and magnitude of some extreme weather events globally. In Brazil, floods in July 2009 set the highest records in 106 years of data.
• Vulnerability and exposure are driven by asymmetric development processes, including poor environmental management, rapid unplanned urbanization, and failed governance. This often forces impoverished populations into high-risk areas with limited resources to cope with disasters.
• The report highlights a stark difference in impacts based on vulnerability, comparing Hurricane Stan (2005), which hit poor indigenous regions in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Chiapas (Mexico) causing high fatalities, with Hurricane Wilma, which hit the international resort of Cancún, resulting in high economic losses but far fewer deaths.
• Projected climate trends for the end of the 21st century in Latin America include a probable increase in hot days and heatwaves across the Amazon, Northeast Brazil, Southeast South America, and Central America/Mexico. Aridity is projected to increase in Central America and Mexico.
• Small island nations in the Caribbean are particularly vulnerable to sea-level rise, storm surges, and saltwater intrusion. Over 50% of the Caribbean population lives within 1.5 km of the coast, threatening vital infrastructure like international airports and capitals.
• Economic losses from weather-related disasters are increasing. While absolute costs are higher in developed nations, fatality rates and losses relative to GDP are higher in developing countries. For example, Hurricane Mitch (1998) caused damages to Honduras totaling US$5 billion, or 95% of its GDP that year.
• Effective disaster risk management (DRM) requires a balance between risk reduction, risk transfer (such as insurance), and impact management. Examples of integrating contingencies into budget processes are noted in Mexico, Colombia, and several Caribbean countries.
• National DRM systems are most effective when they involve a coordinated effort between national and subnational governments, the private sector, research bodies, and civil society. Cuba's system is cited as a well-studied example of efficiency.
• Mexico implemented a mandatory insurance law in 1994 for public assets and created FONDEN in 1996 for disaster spending. By 2006, Mexico became the first transition economy to transfer part of its public catastrophe risk to international reinsurance and capital markets.
• The Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF), launched in 2007, provides immediate liquidity to participating governments to cover approximately 50% of expected recovery and rehabilitation costs.
• Synergies between mitigation and adaptation can improve cost-effectiveness. An example is Brazil's creation of a mosaic of biodiversity-rich forest reserves covering over 30 million hectares, which reduced estimated emissions by 1.8 billion tons of carbon by preventing deforestation.

APA

Cameron, C., Norrington-Davies, G., & Velde, V. T. (2012). Lições do relatório SREX IPCC na América Latina e no Caribe: Gerenciando Extremos Climáticos e Desastres. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/CDKN001_CDKN-RFQ_LAC_PORT1-11.pdf

Chicago

Cameron, Catherine, Gemma Norrington-Davies, and Victoria te Velde. Lições do relatório SREX IPCC na América Latina e no Caribe: Gerenciando Extremos Climáticos e Desastres. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2012. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/CDKN001_CDKN-RFQ_LAC_PORT1-11.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Cameron |first1=Catherine |last2=Norrington-Davies |first2=Gemma |last3=Velde |first3=Victoria te |title=Lições do relatório SREX IPCC na América Latina e no Caribe: Gerenciando Extremos Climáticos e Desastres |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=2012 |url=https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/CDKN001_CDKN-RFQ_LAC_PORT1-11.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cameron2012lies, author = {Cameron, Catherine and Norrington-Davies, Gemma and Velde, Victoria te}, title = {{Lições do relatório SREX IPCC na América Latina e no Caribe: Gerenciando Extremos Climáticos e Desastres}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2012}, url = {https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/CDKN001_CDKN-RFQ_LAC_PORT1-11.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }