The IPCC’s Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate What’s in it for Latin America?

The document outlines the impacts of human-induced climate change on the oceans and cryosphere in Latin America, focusing on ocean acidification, sea level rise, and the melting of Andean glaciers. It emphasizes that while some changes are inevitable, urgent mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions and early investment in adaptation—such as nature-based solutions and improved disaster risk governance—can significantly reduce future costs and risks to human societies and ecosystems.

• Human-induced climate change is altering ocean chemistry and temperature, with the oceans absorbing more than 90% of the excess heat in the climate system and 20% to 30% of carbon dioxide emissions since the 1980s, leading to increased acidification.
• Ocean warming and acidification are destroying coral reefs and threatening other fragile ecosystems like seagrass meadows and kelp forests, which are at very high risk even if global warming is limited to 1.5°C.
• The Humboldt Current, a rich ecosystem providing an estimated US$19.45 billion in annual economic value, is becoming more acidic and deoxygenated, which threatens fisheries and aquaculture in Chile, Peru, and Ecuador.
• Global sea levels are rising at 3.6 mm per year, twice the rate of the 20th century, creating a 'coastal squeeze' where built environments and rising seas trap and degrade ecosystems like mangroves and coastal wetlands.
• In the tropical Andes, most glaciers have already passed their 'peak levels' of runoff, and small glaciers are projected to lose 80% of their ice mass by 2100 under high emission scenarios, impacting hydropower and agriculture.
• The melting cryosphere in the Andes increases natural hazards, including landslides and glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), while releasing heavy metals like mercury into water sources.
• Early investment in disaster risk reduction is more cost-effective than recovery; globally, every dollar invested in preparation is estimated to save US$2–4 in recovery costs.
• Coastal adaptation options range from 'hard' engineered infrastructure to 'green' ecosystem-based adaptation; however, nature-based solutions like 'blue carbon' ecosystems (mangroves, seagrasses) may hit their limits if global warming is too high.
• Climate-related hazards often combine with unsustainable human activities—such as pollution and overfishing—to create compound risks and cascading impacts, such as increased harmful algal blooms in estuaries.
• Effective governance must be integrated across scales and address social inequalities, as vulnerable groups, particularly women in coastal areas, often bear disproportionate burdens during climate disasters.

APA

Climate and Development Knowledge Network (2019). The IPCC’s Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate What’s in it for Latin America? https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/IPCC-Oceans-Latin-America_WEB_0.pdf

Chicago

Climate and Development Knowledge Network. The IPCC’s Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate What’s in it for Latin America? 2019. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/IPCC-Oceans-Latin-America_WEB_0.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |title=The IPCC’s Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate What’s in it for Latin America? |date=2019 |url=https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/IPCC-Oceans-Latin-America_WEB_0.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climateanddevelopmentknowledgenetwork2019ipccs, author = {{Climate and Development Knowledge Network}}, title = {{The IPCC’s Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate What’s in it for Latin America?}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2019}, url = {https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/IPCC-Oceans-Latin-America_WEB_0.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }