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Regional Effects of Climate ChangeClimate Change Impacts in Latin America and the CaribbeanThe following potential effects of climate change are of particular concern to people living in Central America, South America, and the Caribbean Basin: Amazon Deforestation: While destruction of the Amazon rainforest affects the entire world, it has a particular impact in the Latin American region. The decrease in plant cover reduces evapotranspiration from plants, which is expected to reduce precipitation in the region and favor more arid biomes. ENSO: Latin America is directly affected by El Niņo-Southern Oscillation. The El Niņo phase brings rain to Western South America and vastly reduces the fish stock off Peru and Chile. The La Niņa cycle brings drier weather to South America's west coast. If ENSO intensifies and occurs more often under global warming, as many scientists believe, increased flooding and a decline in fishery output in Western South America would ensue. Agriculture: Much of Latin American agriculture specializes in sensitive commercial crops such as bananas and coffee. More extreme weather events could harm these delicate crops. Health: Tropical diseases such as malaria and dengue could expand southward toward temperate South America as the range of disease carriers shifts. Coastal Erosion: Sea level rise is a particularly acute problem for the Small Island States of the Caribbean. A small increase in sea level would erode away significant portions of island nations. The loss of desired beachfront also negatively affects tourism, which is one of the largest economic activities in the Caribbean. Hurricanes: The Caribbean is particularly vulnerable to hurricanes, and the effects of global warming on hurricane frequency and intensity are an area of ongoing research. Some scientists believe as the ocean warms hurricanes may become more frequent; others believe hurricane frequency will not be affected by climate change.
Climate change effects in other regions:
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