Social Implications of Climate Change in Latin America and the Caribbean

Climate change is the defining
development challenge of our time. More than a global
environmental issue, climate change is also a threat to
poverty reduction and economic growth and may unravel many
of the development gains made in recent decades. Latin
America and the Caribbean account for a relatively modest
twelve percent of the world's greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions, but communities across the region are already
suffering adverse consequences from climate change and
variability. As highlighted in 'Reducing Poverty,
Protecting Livelihoods, and Building Assets in a Changing
Climate (Verner 2010), climate change is likely to have
unprecedented social, economic, environmental, and political repercussions.