Climate Change, Natural Hazards and Coastal Ecosystems in Latin-America: A Framework for Analysis

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the warming of global climate is now unequivocal. Over the last 100 years (1906– 2005), global temperature has increased by 0.74˚C. Global sea level has risen by 17 cm during the 20th century (Rosenzweig/Casassa 2007: 92). Estimates for projected global temperature increases from the 1980’s to the end of the 21st century range from 1.8˚C (1.1–2.9˚C) to 4˚C (2.4–6.4˚C) (assuming no additional mitigation measures apart from those already in place in 2000). Global average sea level is expected to rise by 18 to 59 cm by the end of the 21st century (Rosenzweig/Casassa 2007: 92).