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

This report by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines the viability of hydroelectric power as a low-carbon energy source for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) under the framework of "development without carbon" (DWC). It analyzes the region's significant untapped hydropower potential against the risks posed by climate change, such as glacier retreat and precipitation uncertainty, and proposes the integration of WEAP and LEAP modeling tools to manage energy-water tradeoffs.

• 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. Despite this, only 21 to 38 percent of the region's hydroelectric potential has been realized.
• Hydropower generation varies by sub-region: the Southern Cone produces the most hydroelectricity (484,458 GWh), accounting for 68 percent of its total electricity production. The Andean Group generates 71 percent (165,859 GWh) of its electricity from hydropower. In Central America, Costa Rica has the highest share of hydropower in its energy mix at 78 percent, while the Caribbean relies minimally on hydropower due to limited surface water.
• Climate change poses significant risks to hydropower reliability in LAC. Rising temperatures have caused critical glacial retreat in Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia, which is already affecting generation in Lima, Peru, and La Paz, Bolivia. Small Andean glaciers are expected to disappear within 15 years, potentially impacting water availability for hydropower, agriculture, and urban utilities.
• Future climate projections for LAC indicate continued warming, 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. Precipitation projections are highly uncertain; for the Andean Region by 2080, models range from a 20 to 40 percent reduction to a 5 to 10 percent increase.
• To manage the uncertainty of climate change and the high water requirements of hydropower (17 liters per KWh), the report suggests moving away from static planning toward flexible infrastructure and the use of integrated modeling tools. Specifically, it recommends linking the Water Evaluation And Planning (WEAP) tool for freshwater management with the Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning (LEAP) system for energy policy analysis.

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-ES.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-ES.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-ES.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-ES.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }