Of all countries in Latin America, Colombia suffers the most natural
disasters due to global climate change, the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP) announced Tuesday.
“One of the biggest impacts of the climate change are the risks of disasters. Colombia is the Latin American country with the most disasters each year, without counting earthquakes and volcanoes, but climate risks: drought, floods, heavy rains and all that is happening in Colombia,” Piedad Martin, official of the UNDP, said during the National Dialogue about Climate Change in Bogota.
The official stressed that it has to be a priority for the country to create contingency plans against the increase of disasters.
Colombia will experience a decline in the agricultural productivity and the collapse of ecosystems like the forests, Martin warned.
Therefore it is very important to create a culture of adaption to avoid that the climate change affects agriculture, public health and soil management, the UNPD official said.
Colombian authorities, UNPD and UNICEF are currently discussing and seeking solutions for the impact of climate change in Colombia at the National Dialogue about Climate Change which takes place in Bogota until August 5.