Environmental Change, Natural Disasters and Stability in Central America and the Caribbean (CSL Issue Paper, Volume 5-10, September 2010)

摘要

A wide array of factors contribute to making people feel insecure, from the proliferation of small arms and drug trafficking, to transnational threats like water pollution, natural disasters, the spread of diseases, and climate change. Because it is closely associated with heat and water, climate change is already having diverse impacts in Central America and the Caribbean, including more powerful storms, altered river flows, changes in groundwater recharge, landslides, more intense floods, and longer droughts. The inability to predict and manage the quantity and quality of water, and the vulnerabilities of states and regions to the impacts of droughts, floods, and climatic variability impose large costs on many economies in the region. In Central America, the water situation differs on each coast. The El Nino phenomenon causes severe drought on the already dry Pacific Coast of Central America, impacting economies and operation of the Panama Canal. Conversely, on the Atlantic side of the Caribbean, the climate situation is wetter and more vulnerable to hurricane events. Environmental impacts also influence human health, biodiversity, and agriculture, as 85% of natural disasters are water- linked. Therefore, the region must manage by innovating and adapting to these climate extremes. Environmental security is related to peace. Its analysis allows us to better understand the impacts of environmental stress, climate change, and the occurrence of natural disasters on human livelihoods, health, and on the sustainability and resilience of fragile ecosystems. The major environmental and social threats in the Central American and Caribbean region are both natural and man-made in nature. Recognizing the importance of these issues to regional security, SOUTHCOM and the Department of State co-sponsored a Roundtable on Environmental Security and Natural Disasters in San Jose, Costa Rica, with the support of the Center for Strategic Leadership.