Eugenio Figueroa B.Departamento de EconomíaCentro Nacional del Medio Ambiente (CENMA)UNIVERSIDAD DE CHILE

Symposium “ Converging Development”

Public Policies for Adapting to Climate Change: Chile

March 13th 2008Santiago; Chile

Roberto Pasten C.Departamento de EconomíaUniversidad Tecnológica Metropolitana UTEM

IPCC (2001). Climate Change 2001: The Scientific Basis.

2007

IPCC AR4 - 2007

Climate change in Chile

Average anomalies for yearly extreme temperatures in Antofagasta, Copiapo, Vallenar and La Serena. Anomalies calculated in relation to the 1961- 1970 period

Negative change (-C) Positive change(+C)

Precipitations changeSummer (Dec-Feb) Winter (Jul-Aug)

Yellow line precip. 15% lower than the current value. Blue line 15 % higuer than the current value

Change in the zero isotherm

Two months position of 0 isotherm under current conditions (blue line) and under A2 scenario at the end of XXI century (red line)

Change in sea level

• Rising sea level seems to be moderate • Nonetheless, there is a high amount of uncertainty as the following graph shows

Predicted temperature change

• In the whole country a raise in temperature is predicted in both; high emission scenario and moderate emission scenario (2º to 4º).

• The largest increment in temperature will occur in the North and the Andean zone.

• Warming higher in summer (> 5º).

Precipitations change

• Precipitations increases in the North.• Precipitation decreases in Central Chile,

particularly between the V a VIII regions, and in summer and fall.

• In the south (VIII to X regions), precipitations decreases at least in 50% in summer but remains unchanged in winter.

• In the extreme South precipitation rises (about 20 %) remaining stable for most part of the year.

Impacts of the climate change in Chile• increment in pests either in their number or their peligrosity. • Increasing extreme events such as heatwaves, droughts,

floods, storms• Acceleration in the desertification process• Melting glaciers• Impact in crop productivity could be either positive or

negative• Reallocation of crops to the South and loss of productivity in

the North-Center area• Relocation of local and regional fisheries • Recreation activities could be affected by total or partial

floods. Similarly, the touristic infrastructure could result damaged particularly in the central zone

Hydrological Impacts

• The hydrological system will be affected in the Region between latitude 30 and 40 that corresponds to the high-productivity agricultural region and hydro power generation production.

• Glacier melting, contraction of snow cover area and reduced precipitations will reduce annual river runoff and water availability in places that is most needed

Social Impacts

• Dr Butler, a senior research fellow in global health, said inequality over access to resources, such as water and food, bred desperation and resentment, potentially sparking terrorism and war.

• Visiting Africa's Sahel region, Jeffrey Sachs says it's clear that climate change is already driving warfare in Ethiopia and Sudan. This time, peacekeepers, sanctions and humanitarian aid are not going to cut it. Instead, the developed world needs to cut its emissions drastically while helping developing countries adapt—and fast.

What can be done?

• 2 types of answers• Adaptation: Any adjustment in natural or

human systems in response to actual or expected climatic stimuli or their effects, which moderates harm or exploit beneficial opportunities (IPCC)

• Mitigation: Unilateral reduction in emissions of GHG

Politicas de mitigacion frente al cambio climatico

• En general para paises en desarrollo el centro de atencion a estado en el desarrollo de politicas de adaptacion mas que de mitigacion por dos motivos

• A) En el caso del cambio climatico, aun cuando se estabilice o redusca la emision de GEI sus efectos negativos se mantendran en la atmosfera por varias decadas

• B) El Dilema del prisionero: La accion cooperativa para reducir gases es ventajosa, sin embargo mas ventajoso aun es no mitigar si es que los demas paises mitigan, al final se da un equilibrio don de ningun pais tiene incentivos para mitigar unilateralmente

• Sin embargo esta vision de que los paises en desarrollo se deberian centrar solo en actividades de adaptacion no es correcta por los siguientes motivos

• A) Bali Road Map• B) GHG mitigation can enhance economic

growth

Que establece el Road Map

• Para todas las Parte que son países en desarrollo, compromisos o acciones de mitigación nacionalmente apropiados, medibles, informados y verificados, que incluyan objetivos de limitación y reducción de emisiones cuantificados, que aseguren la comparabilidad de esfuerzos entre ellos y tomen en cuenta diferencias en sus circunstancias nacion

GHG mitigation can enhance Economic Growth

• Markets for low carbon products• Financial Markets Development Carbon trading Financing of clean energy• Lever for reforming inefficient energy

systems and reduced energy bills• Benefits of Investing in technologies for

innovation

Economic estimation of energy and climate policies in California: Berkeley Energy and

Resources (BEAR) Model

cap

CAT: Climate action team measures

Politicas de Adaptacion

• El primer estudio de variabilidad de cambio climatico en Chile fue presentado al panel de expertos en 1999

• Unsegundo estudio fue llevado a cabo por el departamento de geofisica de la universidad de Chile 2007

• Sin embargo en este lapso el segundo estudio confirma la tendencia ya observada en las variables meteorologicas

• Los resultados del estudio de variabilidad climatica y el primer comunicado reflejan los mismos resultados en terminos de variabilidad climatica, sin embargo en todo este tiempo no hemos analizado en detalle cual sera el impacto del cambio climatico, ayn mas en deficit estamos de realizar un analisis de los costos y beneficios economicos que dicho cambio conlleva

• Understanding the potential impacts of climate change

• Que areas seran afectadas y en que magnitud• Cuales son los grupos vulnerables al cambio

climatico• What are the options for adaptation• Estimation of costs and benefits of adaptation

considering the risks and uncertainties surrounding climate change

• For coastal protection, for example, the avoided damage (the benefits) of climate change can be estimated from the value of lives and infrastructure protected by the sea walls multiplied by the probability of occurrence of the event

• The cost can be estimated from engineering estimates of construction costs

• Costal protection, in theory should be undertaken until the point where additional benefits are equal to additional costs

Politicas de adaptacion

• Switch crops, altering the timing of crop planting, reallocating the crops to different latitude and/or altitude

• Investing in physical infraestructure to protect against flood or building water reservoirs

• Investment in irrigation infraestructure

Some final remarks about public policies to adapting to CC

• Development itself is a key element to adaptation (promotes diversification of the economy, allow greater investment in health and education, better resilience to disaster or extreme events, and so on

• It is expected some autonomous response to CC, nevertheless given the constraints faced by the poor people, support from the government will be needed

• Government has the most important role raising awareness regarding CC (Information dissemination)

• Adaptation should be integrated in public development projects• More technical capacity regarding CC is needed• In the same token that is mentioned above, countries worried

about adaption will require some support from the international community

Muchas Gracias por su atencion

• Thank you very much for your attention