Colombia Climate Change Due To The Global Climate Change
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Colombia Climate Location
Colombia, in the northwest corner of South America, is a topographically diversified country bounded on the west by the Andes Mountains and on the east by lowland plains. It has a 3,208-kilometer (km) coastline that runs east to west along the Pacific Ocean and north to south along the Caribbean Sea, and the northernmost reaches of the Amazon basin’s tropical rainforests are in the southeast.
With a land area of 1,138,910 km2, the country is ranked as the world’s 25th largest. The Cordillera Occidental, which represents the Andes, reaches up to 15,000 feet in elevation, while the Cordillera Central is home to several snow-covered volcanoes, including the Nevado del Ruiz and Nevado de Santa Isabel, which reach elevations of over 17,000 feet. The Magdalena River basin, which runs through the country, is between these mountains, which are home to Colombia’s significant oil reserves.
Colombia is a populous country, with an anticipated 50.8 million inhabitants in 2020, and forecasts suggest that by 2050, the country’s population would have risen to about 56 million. The Andean highlands and the Caribbean coast are home to the majority of the country’s people. Less than 10% of the country’s population lives in the huge eastern and southern Llanos and tropical forests.
An estimated 81.4% of the country’s population live in urban areas and this is projected to increase to 88.8% by 2050. The Colombian territory is highly vulnerable to extreme events, particularly flooding from “La Niña” phenomena. Vulnerability hotspots include the Caribbean and the Andean regions, with key sectors including housing, transport, energy, agriculture and health.
Colombia Climate Background
Colombia is known for having a diverse range of ecosystems, including paramos, mangroves, wetlands, coral reefs, glaciers, oceans, and tropical forests, as well as significant biodiversity and water resources. Colombia has a tropical climate along the coast and in the eastern lowlands, and a cooler climate in the highlands and Andes.
The country’s topographic diversity defines the three recognized climatic zones: high elevation cold zones (tierra fria), which are located above 2,000 meters (m) in elevation and have mean annual temperatures ranging from 13oC to 17oC, a temperate zone (tierra templada), which is located between 1,000 m and 2,000 m and has mean annual temperatures of around 18oC, and a tropical zone (tierra caliente), which is located between 1,000 m and The average annual rainfall in the United States is 2,630 millimeters, but there is significant variation around the country.
The highest rainfall amounts (about 6 mm–7,000 mm per year) are found in the west Pacific coast and in the Andean interior, while the drier steppe climates of the north and south west receive less than 500 mm per year. The rainy seasons in the Andean regions are bimodal (April–June and October–December), whereas the northern Caribbean region has only one rainy season (May–October) due to its proximity to the equator.
The El Nio Southern Oscillation has an impact on inter-annual rainfall variations (ENSO). Droughts and warmer weather are connected with the ENSO, while floods and colder weather are associated with La Nia in Colombia, mainly between June and August.
Temperature
Colombian temperatures have risen by at least 1 degree Celsius in the last two decades.
In the high mountains, maximum temperatures have risen by 1°C every decade, whereas in the sub-paramo regions, temperatures have climbed by 0.6°C per decade. The number of warm evenings is on the rise, while the number of cold nights is on the down.
Precipitation
In Colombia, precipitation patterns show a significant degree of inter-annual fluctuation; whereas ENSO provides droughts and warmer temperatures, La Nia brings floods and cooler weather, especially between June and August.
Between 1950 and 2006, there was a statistically significant increase in rainfall between March and December, which was somewhat offset by a decrease in June–April rains, albeit the latter is not statistically significant.
Colombia’s climate context for the current climatology, drawn from observable, historical data, for the period 1991-2020. In order to grasp future climate scenarios and expected change, information should be used to establish a strong understanding of current climatic circumstances. Data for the present climatology can be visualized using regional variation, the seasonal cycle, or a time series. Both annual and seasonal data are accessible for analysis. The data is shown at a national size by default, however sub-national data aggregations can be obtained by clicking on a sub-national unit within a country.
Colombia Climate Change and Disaster Risks
Colombia Climate Changed, Colombia is particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. The majority of the population lives in the Andes, where water shortages and land instability are already a reality, as well as along the coast, where rising sea levels and floods threaten essential human settlements and economic operations. Furthermore, the country has a high prevalence of extreme occurrences, with climate-related catastrophes on the rise.
Colombia has made significant progress toward achieving the Millennium Development Goals. However, these objectives remain fragile, as evidenced by a scenario characterized by social tensions, regional disparities, and social gaps, as well as a significant number of vulnerable populations that may experience serious setbacks in their human development as a result of climate change.
Colombia Climate Change Video
According to the climate scenarios outlined in Colombia’s Second National Communication on Climate Change, by 2070, the average temperature will have increased by 2° to 4° C, with changes in hydrological conditions (for example, certain regions may see their rainfall reduced by up to 30 percent ). Furthermore, climate change will have an impact on the quality of life of all Colombians, but particularly on the rural population’s means of subsistence. Furthermore, climate change has the potential to hasten internal displacements and migrations. This, in turn, is expected to put extra strains on the country’s struggle against poverty, increasing the vulnerability of marginalized and excluded communities.
Colombia Climate Change and Disaster Vulnerability
Colombia is ranked tenth in the world when it comes to the economic risk posed by three or more hazards. With 84 percent of the population and 86 percent of the country’s assets in areas vulnerable to two or more risks, the country has the highest occurrence of extreme events in South America.
Rapid population increase in poorly planned metropolitan centers, informal settlements, and densely inhabited coastal areas, combined with climate change effects, are already exacerbating flooding and landslides in the country. Coastal and insular locations are also under risk from rising sea levels. Earthquakes, droughts, and cyclones all pose a threat to Colombia.
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Colombia Disaster Impacts Due To The Climate Change
Agriculture
Colombia’s varied geography and temperature allow it to grow a wide range of crops, from banana plantations in the Caribbean lowlands to coffee production in the Andean highlands. From the Andean highlands to the eastern plains, cattle ranching is common, accounting for 37% of land use. Agriculture is Colombia’s main source of revenue, accounting for a fifth of total value added and almost a third of foreign exchange.
Irrigation system efficiency is low, contributing to increased soil salinization and water erosion vulnerability. Soil aridity, erosion, and desertification are all severe risks to Colombian agriculture, which are anticipated to worsen as a result of climate change. Currently, desertification has damaged 4.1 percent of Colombian soil.
Land deterioration has already afflicted 15 of the 23 irrigation districts with large-scale irrigation programs. Furthermore, an increase in meteorological occurrences like La Nia could have a significant influence on agriculture. For example, during the 1997–1998 El Nio, drought caused up to 10% of Colombia’s coffee crop to be destroyed.
Water
Colombia Climate Change has one of the world’s greatest runoff water offers, with 2.000 mm of rain per year and a surplus of water of 2.000 cubic kilometres per year, or 57.000 cubic meters per inhabitant. Hundreds of villages and municipal water supply, including the capital of Bogota, rely on the glaciers and Páramo grasslands of the northern tropical Andes.
These delicate ecosystems are already displaying indications of stress and are very vulnerable to the consequences of local, regional, and global climate change. Many dangers to human progress are posed by significant and growing trends in glacial retreat. A comprehensive glacial collapse is projected in the next 100 years, with an average glacier linear retreat rate of 10–15 m per year. According to the study, 25% of municipal headwaters are experiencing water shortages, with that number anticipated to climb to 55% by 2015.
Colombia Climate Changed – video
This tendency poses a significant threat to the Colombian Andes, which are home to 80 percent of the country’s population. Water availability in Colombia is expected to be substantially pressured between 2015 and 2025, compromising water supply and ecosystem functioning in the Páramos. As a result of a 30% reduction in mean flows in the Colombian Andean area basins and a maximum of 80% loss in particular tributaries, a reduction or loss of operability of renewable hydropower generation (which provides 80% of Colombia’s demand) is projected.
Colombia Coastal Impacts
The planet’s systematic warming is directly driving global mean sea level to rise in two basic ways: (1) melting mountain glaciers and polar ice sheets are adding water to the ocean, and (2) warming of the ocean water causes expansion and therefore greater volume. Since 1880, the global mean sea level has risen roughly 210–240 millimeters (mm), with about a third of it occurring in the previous two and a half decades. The annual growth is currently around 3mm each year.
Colombia Climate Changed,Natural variability in area winds and ocean currents causes regional fluctuations, which can last for days, months, or even decades. However, additional factors such as ground uplift (e.g., ongoing rebound from Ice Age glacier weight), changes in water tables owing to water extraction or other water management, and even the effects of local erosion can all play a role locally.
Colombia Climate Change Impacts Video
Rising sea levels put a strain on both the physical coastline and coastal ecosystems. Freshwater aquifers, which support municipal and agricultural water supplies as well as natural ecosystems, can be contaminated by saltwater incursions. Because there is a significant lag between attaining equilibrium and global temperatures continuing to rise, sea level will continue to rise for a long time. The magnitude of the rise will be heavily influenced by future carbon dioxide emissions and global warming, and the speed of the rise may be progressively influenced by glacier and ice sheet melting.
reference – World Bank Climate Knowledge.org ,UNDP Climate Adoption
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