Climate change in Guatemala

Guatemala is considered one of the 10 nations which is most vulnerable to the effects of climate change.[1]

In 2010, Guatemala "ranked second in the world on the Global Climate Risk Index, which indicates the level of exposure and vulnerability to extreme events."[2]

Both commercial agricultural production and subsistence farming have declined, and thus subsistence farmers find it more difficult to find work as day laborers when their own harvests fail.[3] About 300,000 subsistence farmers reported crop loss due to drought in 2018.[4]

About half of Guatemala's workforce is in the agricultural sector.[5] Poor crop yields due to climate change have been identified as a factor in migration to the United States.[6][7]

Erratic weather patterns and crop loss

A report by the Guatemalan System of Climate Change Sciences in 2019 indicated that rainy season is starting later as a result of climate change, putting subsistence farmers and indigenous people in poor communities at risk of food shortages resulting from poor harvests.[8]

Guatemalan farmers have experienced extreme weather events such as hurricanes, as well as erratic weather patterns with spikes and drops in temperature, torrential rains, drought, and unexpected frost.[3][7][9] One crop affected has been potatoes, which suffer from fungus.[6]

The problem of food security and famine has increased, especially in the “corredor seco" (an area extending from the departments of Izabal and Baja Verapaz in the north to Santa Rosa and Jutiapa in the south).[10]

Impact on nature

Populations of Guatemala's edible giant winged leaf-cutter ant are declining.[11][12] "Guatemala's zompopos, yellow ants, of May are now the zompopos of June," according to Dr. Edwin Castellanos, of the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala.[10]

Greenhouse gas emissions

"Guatemala emitted 40 million metric tons (MtCO2e) of greenhouse gases in 2011, with the land-use change and forestry sector contributing 40 percent to overall emissions. Greenhouse gas emissions grew by 38 percent from 1990 - 2011 with significant contribution from the land-use change and forestry, energy and agriculture sectors."[13]

Adaptation and foreign assistance

US humanitarian aid for projects related climate and agriculture has focused on helping farmers adapt so that they can remain on their land.[4] USAID support for Guatemala has included development of "early-warning systems for floods and fires, as well as promoting soil and watershed conservation, rain water harvesting, and other adaptive practices."[1] According to the GAO, the mandate for studies to determine the impact of these programs on migration has been rescinded. A third round of cuts to US aid has been proposed for FY2020.[4]

US based NGOs which have been active in climate-related projects in the forestry and agricultural sectors have experienced funding cuts under the Trump Administration.[6][14]

Guatemala has joined the V20, a group of 48 developing economies working together with development banks towards climate resilience and 100% renewable energy.[15]

Impact on immigration

In 2019, Palm Beach County, Florida saw an increase in Guatemalan immigrants from the "Dry corridor", seeking to escape hunger caused by periods of drought followed by torrential rains that had impacted their crops.[7]

See also

References
  1. "Guatemala | Global Climate Change". Climate Links. USAID. Retrieved 2019-05-07.
  2. "Guatemala". Research Program on Agriculture, Climate Change, and Food Security. 2015-11-27. Retrieved 2019-05-07.
  3. "Changing climate forces desperate Guatemalans to migrate". National Geographic. 2018-10-23. Retrieved 2019-05-07.
  4. Walsh, Conor. "Conor Walsh: Immigration and climate change in Central America". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved 2019-05-07.
  5. Blitzer, Jonathan; Lima, Mauricio (2019-04-03). "How Climate Change Is Fuelling the U.S. Border Crisis". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 2019-05-07.
  6. Shapiro, Ari; Blitzer, Jonathan (April 10, 2019). "Climate Change Is Forcing Farmers In Guatemala To Leave Their Land For The U.S." NPR. Retrieved 2019-05-07.
  7. Padgett, Tim (Apr 8, 2019). "Guatemalan Climate Change Refugees Pouring Over U.S. Border – And Into South Florida". WLRN. Retrieved 2019-05-07.
  8. Moloney, Anastasia (2019-05-04). "The poorest in Guatemala bear brunt of climate change, research says". Reuters. Retrieved 2019-05-04.
  9. Montes, Juan; Pérez, Santiago (2019-04-05). "Mexico Struggles to Contain Surge in Central American Migrants". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2019-05-07.
  10. Castellanos, Edwin (2016-03-07). "Climate Change in Guatemala". EntreMundos. Retrieved 2019-05-07.
  11. "Meet the giant Guatemalan winged-leaf-cutter ant: Zompopo". AntiguaDailyPhoto.Com. 2014-05-18. Retrieved 2019-05-07.
  12. "Zompopos de Mayo Season in Guatemala 2019". Rove.me. Retrieved 2019-05-07.
  13. "Greenhouse Gas Emissions Factsheet: Guatemala | Global Climate Change". Climate Links. USAID. Retrieved 2019-05-07.
  14. Bunch, Will (April 25, 2019). "Climate denier Trump can't handle the truth about why Central Americans flock to U.S." Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2019-05-07.
  15. Rowling, Megan (2019-04-12). "Shunned by investors, poorer nations seek to climate-proof growth". Reuters. Retrieved 2019-05-04.
  16. "Erratic weather patterns in the Central American Dry Corridor leave 1.4 million people in urgent need of food assistance". Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations . 25 April 2019. Retrieved 2019-05-04.
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