Climate change in Peru
The National Council for Environment is the head of the National Comission on Climate Change. Together with other
public and private institutions this group of technical experts elaborated the National Strategy for Climate
Change in 2002. The  German Technical Cooperation is currently implementing a program for Sustainable Rural
Development which includes components of risk management, sustainable supply management and the conservation of
natural resources. Besides national and regional activities some partner countries implement climate mitigation
and adaptation programmes in Peru. The EU co-finances a project to support disaster risk management and crises
prevention activities in the Andean community
(PREDECAN).
Main impacts of climate change
- Peru, with 470,000 ha covered by glaciers, possesses 70 per cent of the mountain glaciers within the earth's
tropics. According to officials at the glaciology unit with
Instituto Nacional de Recursos Naturales (INRENA),
the ice-covered area of the Peruvian Andes has reduced by 22 per cent from 1970 to 1997. Peru strongly depends
on the glacier as the prime source for water, and will experience severe water scarcity in the future.
- Peru's highlands are experiencing the socalled "friaje". In 2004 temperatures fell to 35ºC below zero.
Waves of cold were felt between June and August, caused by the arrival of frozen winds from the South Pole.
These came with unusual storms followed by frosts that destroyed the crops. The temperature shifts are getting
more extreme. Cold winters have been followed by hot, dry summers.
- Peru experiences increases in the intensity of winds and alterations in the precipitation patterns. As in
the other Latin American countries, precipitation events in Peru are strongly related to el Niño / la Niña
phenomena. Snow dominated basins in the Andes will suffer less stream flow and decreased water supply in
summer, in winter and spring there is a high flood risk.
Coffee Production
Coffee is the main agricultural export product of Peru. 73% of the total exports are realised by the ten most
important coffee exporting companies in Peru. Cafédirect's producer partners are located in the Andean hillsides.
Most producers are located in Cajamarca, Junín, Cuzco and Puno.
COCLA and
CEPICAFE are the biggest exporters with 8,400 and 7,000 smallholders each.
AdapCC supports smallholders in Peru to elaborate adaptation strategies. These may include measures that
strengthen management structures of the organisations, measures that create incentives for long-run implementation
of adaptation measures, risk mitigation through diversification and investment into scientific measures and
forecasting mechanisms for desaster risk management.
CEPICAFE has been suggested as pilot producer group participating in the first risk and opportunity assessments.
|
Home
Top