Climate Change and Semi-arid Regions in Latin America Threats and Challenges

This chapter refers to the threats and challenges of semi-arid regions in Latin America related to climate change. According to the definition of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the vulnerability of a system to the adverse effects of both climate variability and change is a multidimensional phenomenon, which is a function of the exposure to the phenomenon, the sensitivity to it, and the adaptive capacity (or resilience) that the system possesses. It is expected that in the near future, Latin America and the Caribbean will face serious consequences as a result of climate change. These effects will not be evenly distributed and some semi-arid areas of the region will be particularly affected. This study specifically addresses four key areas: the Gran Chaco in Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay; the Northeast of Brazil; the Venezuelan Coast; and the so-called Central American Semi-arid Belt. These regions are very important for the countries involved, mainly because of their role in agricultural production and consequently in food security and economic activity in their respective societies; hence the importance of analyzing the potential impacts and possible adaptation measures that can be developed.