Energy-Water-Climate Planning for Development Without Carbon in Latin America and the Caribbean

The report examines the role of hydropower in Latin America and the Caribbean's transition to low-carbon development. While the region relies heavily on hydropower—supplying 46% of its electricity—climate change poses risks through glacier retreat and precipitation variability. The authors advocate for integrated planning using the WEAP and LEAP tools to manage the water-energy nexus and navigate tradeoffs between hydropower, biofuels, and other water demands.

• Hydropower is a dominant electricity source in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), providing 46 percent of the region's electricity, which is significantly higher than the global average of 16 percent.
• The region has substantial untapped hydroelectric potential, with estimates suggesting that only 21 to 38 percent of the total potential has been realized.
• Climate change is causing critical glacial retreat in Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador, which threatens water availability and hydropower generation, particularly in the dry season.
• Future climate projections for LAC indicate a steady warming trend, with temperatures expected to rise between 0.4°C and 1.8°C by 2020 and 1.0°C to 7.5°C by 2080, though precipitation projections remain highly uncertain.
• Hydropower infrastructure in LAC is increasingly vulnerable because many facilities were designed based on historical climatic patterns that are now changing, reducing reliability.
• There are significant regional disparities in hydropower reliance: the Southern Cone produces the most hydroelectricity (484,458 GWh), while the Caribbean relies very little on it due to limited surface water.
• The expansion of low-carbon energy sources may create competing water demands; for example, biofuel crops in the Dominican Republic and Peru may compete with other water users.
• The report proposes integrating the Water Evaluation And Planning (WEAP) tool and the Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning (LEAP) system to better quantify the water-energy nexus and test low-carbon, low-water energy scenarios.

APA

Escobar, M., López, F. F., & Clark, V. (2011). Energy-Water-Climate Planning for Development Without Carbon in Latin America and the Caribbean. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/sei-development-without-carbon-ph2.pdf

Chicago

Escobar, Marisa, Francisco Flores López, and Victoria Clark. Energy-Water-Climate Planning for Development Without Carbon in Latin America and the Caribbean. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2011. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/sei-development-without-carbon-ph2.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Escobar |first1=Marisa |last2=López |first2=Francisco Flores |last3=Clark |first3=Victoria |title=Energy-Water-Climate Planning for Development Without Carbon in Latin America and the Caribbean |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=November 2011 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/sei-development-without-carbon-ph2.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{escobar2011energywaterclimate, author = {Escobar, Marisa and López, Francisco Flores and Clark, Victoria}, title = {{Energy-Water-Climate Planning for Development Without Carbon in Latin America and the Caribbean}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2011}, month = nov, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/sei-development-without-carbon-ph2.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }