Ecobreves – LATIN AMERICA: Debate on Climate Change Risk and Adaptation

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MONTEVIDEO, Aug 18 2007 (IPS) - Coordinating efforts to confront the usual threats from the weather and finding ways to adapt to climate change were among the purposes of a Latin American workshop organized in the Uruguayan capital by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). “There were different agendas in the community of climate risk management and the community of climate change adaptation,” even within each country, so they needed to seek common ground, Rafael Bernardi, head of environment for the UNDP, told Tierramérica.

Emphasis was on the use of DIVA (Dynamic Interactive Vulnerability Assessment) to be applied in coastal areas, he said.

The Latin American workshop “Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change and Climate Risk Management”, held Aug. 13-17, drew some 60 participants from UNDP, the UN Environment Program, regional experts and national officials.