EFE News Agency
Quito, October 15, 2007

According to studies presented at the “Latin Climate” meeting opened today in Guayaquil, Ecuador and slated to end in Quito next Thursday, glacial melting produced by climate change has put Andean agriculture at risk. 

Dozens of scientists have gathered in Guayaquil, among them Graciela Magrin and Oswaldo Canziani, members of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change  (IPCC) that was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for its environmental research efforts.  

The Meeting was sponsored by the Andean Community (CAN) and the Municipalities of Quito and Guayaquil to discuss climate change and its impact on Latin America, where this phenomenon is affecting coastal, mountain and jungle areas. 

Luisa Elena Guinand, Coordinator of “Latin Climate,” told EFE that one of the studies unveiled today concerned agriculture and the availability of water in the Andean region. 

"Glacier retreat in Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador will affect water availability, particularly for Andean agriculture,” Guinand stated, adding that it will have a negative impact on mountain cities, as well.

"We will have a water shortage within 25 or 30 years, which will create serious problems,” Guinand announced.

According to Guinand, that same study warns of a rise in the Pacific Ocean water level of up to between 30 and 50 centimeters, which would damage the coastal ecosystem of the world’s largest ocean and the coastal cities, some of which could even be flooded in some cases.  

"This is a problem we must start addressing right now,” Guinand announced, explaining that that is why the Andean Community has invited European, Asian and American scientists to “establish a common strategy to deal with climate change.” 

Another of the Meeting’s objectives is to arouse public awareness of the effects of climate change in the region by providing the necessary information for reflection and, above all, for taking a position on global warming, the Coordinator explained. 

Guinand stated that the conclusions emanating from this Congress will be presented to the next United Nations Conference, to be held in Bali, Indonesia in December. 

"We want to prepare ourselves, as Latin American countries, for the forthcoming negotiations at the next United Nations Conference, where environmental problems will be discussed,” Guinand stressed. EFE