Climate Change in Argentina: what we are already experiencing

Climate Change in Argentina: what we are already experiencing

Mauricio López Dardaine

Thanks to the la Cámara de Exportadores de la República Argentina, and we must thank them once more, we are beginning to read through the ECLAC study, conducted for the Argentine Government, carried out together with a team of Argentine experts. One must emphasise the preliminary nature of the work that has been done; it says so in the work itself. The study covers a number of critical regions, but not all of them. The main purpose is to determine how much the consequences of Climate Change will cost us Argentines during this XXI Century? On the one hand, with regard to ADAPTATION to said effects, on the other hand, with reference to MITIGATION.

The complete name of the study in Spanish is “La Economía del Cambio Climático en la Argentina, primera aproximación.”

However, even if the focus is on economics, this work contains rather important information as far as those effects Argentina is experimenting today are concerned..

We wish to share this information verbatim with you friends -our free translation into English notwithstanding- for we feel it will contribute to our understanding our present and future predicament.

“In the Second National Communication the Argentine Government presented to the COP [2007], within the framework of the United Nations Convention on Climate Change, they identified significant changes in some of the climate trends when compared to the historical situation.

In this Communication the climate trends registered in most of the [Argentine] territory during the last three or four decades were defined as significant. It was also stated that in all probability, they ought to be attributed to global Climate Change.

Said trends have already affected the natural systems and human activity, thus quick Adaptation to them becomes mandatory. The following are the most significant trends:

-         Increase in average annual rainfall in almost all of the country, and especially in the northeast  and in the west periphery zone around the traditional humid region;

-         Increase in extreme rainfall frequency in the east and centre;

-         Temperature increase in the Andean zone of Patagonia and Cuyo provinces, together with the retrogression of glaciers;

-         River mean flow increase and flooding frequency all through the country, with the exception of San Juan, Mendoza, the Comahue Region and north Patagonia;

-         Flow decrease of Andean rivers in San Juan, Mendoza and the Comahue Region;

In the Second National Communication it also said that the probable impacts envisaged for the first half of this century that could increase vulnerability all around or create new vulnerability factors, would be the following:

-Unpredictable variations with regard to the flow of the River   Plate Basin rivers, owing to a temperature increase higher than that of rainfall, and thus, owing to evaporation;

-Increase in hydraulic stress in the north and part of the west, owing to same cause;

-Decrease of snow precipitation in the Andes, probable hydraulic stress in Mendoza and San Juan, plus reduction of hydro-electric energy generation in the Comahue Region;

-Extension of intense rainfall high frequency and flooding in the zones presently affected;

-Extension of glacier retrogression, and

-Problems at some points of the Atlantic seacoast and the River Plate coastline, owing to sea level increase;

It was also stated in this Communication that in Argentina the mayor Climate Change impacts are those related to the inter-annual rainfall variation, because they significantly affect agricultural production in times of drought.

Another of the significant impacts thought less accentuated, is that of intense rainfall, causing hydraulic surpluses, flooding of productive fields, and having harmful impacts regarding the infrastructure, security and health of the urban population.”