Las sequías en las Américas: prioridades regionales, sistemas de alerta temprana y desarrollo sostenible

This report documents a hybrid event held on May 28, 2025, in Asunción, Paraguay, organized by the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) and partners. The event focused on formulating recommendations for drought management in the Americas, specifically regarding early warning systems (EWS), regional collaboration, and the integration of scientific research into public policy to support vulnerable productive sectors.

• Global drought trends show a 29% increase in frequency since 2000, with projections indicating that global freshwater demand will exceed supply by 40% by 2030. Between 2022 and 2023, one in four people worldwide were affected by drought, with 85% of those affected residing in low- and middle-income countries.
• The economic cost of drought inaction is significant; damages between 2000 and 2019 are estimated at 128 billion dollars, though cascading effects may bring the actual annual figure closer to 307 billion dollars.
• In 2024, severe climate instability affected various regions in Latin America and the Caribbean. Notable events included the disappearance of the Humboldt glacier in Venezuela, a 21-day heatwave in Mexico causing 90 deaths, devastating wildfires in Valparaíso, Chile, and floods in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, which caused approximately 1.5 billion dollars in agricultural damages, primarily affecting soy production.
• Early Warning Systems (EWS) for droughts differ fundamentally from those for floods due to spatial and temporal scales. While floods cause immediate deaths and require rapid communication, droughts develop over longer periods and require long-term risk assessment and sustained mitigation measures.
• The Drought Information System for the Southern South America (SISSA) focuses on the agriculture, hydroelectric energy, and inland waterway transport sectors. A primary challenge identified is translating climate information into practical knowledge regarding sectoral impacts, as well as maintaining institutional continuity amidst frequent government changes.
• The 2021 Yacyretá case highlighted the need for regional cooperation to manage water levels during droughts. Negotiations between Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil were required to balance Paraguay's need for river navigation (transporting 150,000 tons of goods) against Argentina and Brazil's priorities for drinking water supply and environmental protection.
• There is a critical gap between scientific research and public policy in Latin America. Examples from Chile, Colombia, and Peru show that moving away from 'one-size-fits-all' models toward localized, user-based services—such as specialized climate services for beekeepers in Chile—improves the utility of climate data.
• Sustainable financing for drought resilience requires moving beyond public investment to include private sector partnerships, agricultural insurance, and climate-resilient credit lines. In Uruguay, the demand for agricultural insurance fluctuates based on El Niño and La Niña cycles, demonstrating the need for year-round structured insurance programs.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (2025). Las sequías en las Américas: prioridades regionales, sistemas de alerta temprana y desarrollo sostenible. https://archive.iai.int/administrador/assets/images/ckfinder/files/Informe%20sequias%202025%20espa%C3%B1ol.pdf

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. Las sequías en las Américas: prioridades regionales, sistemas de alerta temprana y desarrollo sostenible. 2025. https://archive.iai.int/administrador/assets/images/ckfinder/files/Informe%20sequias%202025%20espa%C3%B1ol.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=Las sequías en las Américas: prioridades regionales, sistemas de alerta temprana y desarrollo sostenible |date=28 May 2025 |url=https://archive.iai.int/administrador/assets/images/ckfinder/files/Informe%20sequias%202025%20espa%C3%B1ol.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearch2025las, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{Las sequías en las Américas: prioridades regionales, sistemas de alerta temprana y desarrollo sostenible}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2025}, month = may, url = {https://archive.iai.int/administrador/assets/images/ckfinder/files/Informe%20sequias%202025%20espa%C3%B1ol.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }