Record-Breaking Climate Hazards Ravage Latin America

In 2023, the convergence of the El Niño phenomenon and climate change unleashed a barrage of devastating events across Latin America and the Caribbean, severely affecting health, food and energy security, and economic development in the region, as outlined by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). 

According to the WMO's report on the climate status of Latin America and the Caribbean, 2023 was the hottest year on record, with the melting of glaciers accelerating and sea levels rapidly rising along the Atlantic coast, posing threats to coastal areas and small island states in the Caribbean. Celeste Saulo, Secretary General, WHO, highlights that climate hazards reached record levels in the region last year. "During the second half of 2023, conditions associated with the El Niño episode drove heat records to unprecedented levels and exacerbated numerous extreme phenomena. This, coupled with rising temperatures and the increased frequency and intensity of climate change-related hazards due to human activity, compounded the situation," explained Saulo.

Among the devastating events, Saulo cited Hurricane Otis, a Category 5 storm that struck Acapulco on the Mexican Pacific coast, resulting in dozens of casualties, billions of dollars in damages, and widespread devastation in the area. Saulo also mentions the severe drought that reduced the water level of the Rio Negro to its historic low in Brazil and severely disrupted vessel passage through the Panama Canal. The report specifies that the 2023 average temperature was 0.82°C above the 1991-2020 period average, with Mexico experiencing the fastest warming rate in the region: 0.3°C per decade between 1991 and 2023. In August, Mexico recorded a temperature of 51.4°C in its northern territory.

Regarding rainfall, the transition from La Niña to El Niño in the middle of the year caused a significant shift in precipitation distribution, with many areas transitioning from La Niña-induced droughts or floods to experiencing the effects of opposing phenomena. This was the case in Brazil, where floods and landslides caused numerous casualties and substantial economic losses, as well as massive population displacements.

In the Caribbean, a tropical disturbance brought torrential rains to Jamaica, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic, with at least 21 fatalities reported in the Dominican Republic, which recorded a record daily rainfall of 431.0 mm. Meanwhile, severe drought, exacerbated by heatwaves, mainly affected much of Central America and Mexico, with 76% of Mexico's territory experiencing some degree of drought by the end of the year.

The WMO indicates that disasters and climate change damaged agriculture and food security in the region, pushing 13.8 million people into a situation of acute food crisis, especially in Central America and the Caribbean, as well as in Ecuador and Peru, where fishing was also reduced due to rising sea temperatures.

In terms of health, the UN agency warns that exposure to heatwaves, wildfire smoke, sand dust, and air pollution causes cardiovascular and respiratory problems, while malnutrition is on the rise. Extreme heat led to excess mortality in Latin America and the Caribbean between 2000 and 2019, and changes in precipitation distribution expanded the geographic scope of diseases such as malaria and dengue, with cases alarmingly increasing in the region, even in areas where their incidence was previously nonexistent.

The publication emphasizes the need to increase investments in national meteorological and hydrological services to improve forecasts and early warnings that save lives. Currently, 47% of the region's countries only provide basic meteorological services, with only 6% offering complete or advanced services. The organization also urges the expansion of climate services to improve healthcare provisions against extreme events. So far, only 38% of the region's countries provide climate services tailored to the health sector.