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Climate change in Peru
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Introduction
Climate Change in Peru
By Taisia, Minato and Bella
Peru is the third largest country in South America after Brazil and Argentina, mostly formed by the Andes Mountains, which stretch from north to south.
It consists of different landscapes:
- mountains
- beaches
- deserts
- rainforests
Most people live on the Pacific coast,
where the capital Lima is located.
Climate of Peru
Peru is a diverse country defined by the Andean mountain range, which runs north-south, dividing the country into three broad climatic regions:
- the Coast
- the Andean Highlands
- the Eastern lowlands
- Amazon rainforest.
The Coast experiences a semi-arid, subtropical desert climate with average annual rainfall of 150 mm.
Climate of peru
How has the climate changed over the past 100 years?
How has the climate changed
During 1949 and 2022, there has been quite a lot of fluctuations in temperature.
Normally the average temperature in Peru from July to September is 19.7, however in 1997 based on all 31 weather stations below 3830 metres altitude, the hottest summer was recorded with an average temperature of 21.9 °C.
The coldest day in these 73 years was reported by the weather station Cuzco. There the temperature dropped to -8.0 °C in May 2014.
The most precipitation fell in February 1978. With 95.2 mm per day, the Quincemil weather station recorded the highest monthly average of the last 73 years.
Rainfall Patterns
rainfall patterns
Climate change is causing changes in seasonal rainfall patterns.
The intensity in precipitations is increasing in the coastal and northern mountain regions; while it is decrasing in the central mountain region. The southern mountain region shows moderate variations.
Natural disasters
Over the past 40 years, a huge number of natural
disasters have occurred, the approximate number of which is about 161. Floods are in the first place in terms of the number of cases (32.92%), followed by earthquakes (18.01%), landslide (17.39%), and extreme temperatures (7.45%).
natural disasters
Floods
floods
The most frequent natural disasters at the moment are floods.
The increase in temperature also has a significant effect, which leads to an increase in precipitation. That is, the higher the temperature, the more it causes more water to evaporate from the land and oceans, which changes in the size and frequency of heavy precipitation events and may in turn affect the size and frequency of river flooding.
Earthquakes
Earthquakes make up 29% of natural disasters.
The main causes that set the plates in motion are:
- shrinking glaciers (ice melting)
- increasing liquefaction
- heavy rainfall
All these causes are closely related to climate change and rising temperatures.
earthquake
Landslides
Landscapes are also associated with climate change.
Since warmer oceans increase the amount of water that drains into the air.
Therefore landslides and their number are closely related to the amount of precipitation, since they are triggered mainly by heavy rain, often during cyclones and monsoons.
landslides
Extreme temperatures
Because of the cliamte change we have not only the extreme warm temperatures, but we also have extreme cold temepratures.
Because the warming temperatures are disrupting the polar vortex and pushing cold air into non-traditional areas.
In Peru this natural disaster occured as well.
From April to July 2009, unusually cold weather caused the death of more than 100 children under the age of five. In June, there were 50,000 cases of acute respiratory infections and 4,851 people with pneumonia. Between mid-April and mid-June, 61 children died. The United Nations Population Fund reported more than 13,500 cases of pneumonia, and more than 60,000 cases of respiratory infections.
Climate change effects
Climate change affects
Climate change has been effecting Peru by causing increase of flooding, droughts, and water scarcity (dry seasons). The glacier has also been melting and they have lost about 8 gigatons of ice from 2000 to 2016.
Sea level
Systematic global warming directly raises the global mean sea level in 2 ways:
- melting of sea glaciers/polar ice sheets
- the warming of the water
The global sea level mean has risen 210-240mm from 1880.
In Peru due to the change of sea level, there have been a several increases of flooding.
Also during a costal storm, storm surges rise to higher levels, which increases the risk of beaches along the Lima Costal Zone submerged.
Impact on people and infrastructure
Impact on people
Peru is considered an upper-middle-income economy, but more than 80 percent of farmers practice subsistence, rainfed agriculture.
32.5 million people have been affected by floods, droughts, forest fires, earthquakes, landslides, or volcanic eruptions.
More than 511,000 people lost their homes to natural disasters between 1990 and 2020.
Effects on ecosystems
Impact on ecosystems
Wetlands, native grasslands and moutain glaciers have been effecting Peru's ecosystems. These effects also have been causing decrease of water retention, increase of risk having extreme droughts, erosion and landslides.
Wetlands covers 0.48% of Peru, but they play a big role in many regions which they store water, improving water quality, and deliver flows during the dry season.
Predicted impacts
Predicted impacts
positive - carbon dioxide emissions are decreasing
negative - carbon dioxide emissions do not stop and continue to grow
Negative scenario
negative scenario
- By 2030 that the temperature should rise by 1.6 °C throughout the country.
- Minimum temperatures in winter and autumn will increase by 2 degrees.
In terms of precipitation by 2030, no significant change is expected, but we can assume that their number will increase as well as the number of natural disasters.
Positive scenario
Unfortunately, the likelihood that we will follow a positive scenario is too small, and one might say unattainable. But even if this happens, there is no chance that everything will return to normal.
- temperature will not rise as much as in the negative scenario
- Precipitation will not become less or more
positive scenario
Conclusion
In conclusion, we can say one thing - Peru is at a very high risk of danger due to climate change. The only way to stop it is to reduce carbon emissions by any means. After all, Peru is not only land, but also people, crops and part of the economy. Now it's too late to return everything as it was before, but it's never too late to stop.
“So, we can’t save the world by playing by the rules, because the rules have to be changed. Everything needs to change and it has to start today.”
Greta Thunberg