New report analyses climate risk models and projections in Suriname
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) publishes the report “State of the Climate Report, Suriname. Summary for Policy Makers”, developed together with the Factor team led by Kepa Solaun, with the objective of analysing the state of Suriname in the context of the effects of climate change and updating the country’s climate policies and objectives according to the results.
The report analyses the historical climate status of Suriname from 1990 to 2014 and provides climate projections for three time horizons (2020-2044, 2045-2069 and 2070-2094) through two different emission scenarios. Several factors contribute to Suriname’s particular vulnerability to the effects of climate change. For example, the country is dependent on fossil fuels, has forests prone to decay, fragile ecosystems, and its low-lying coastal zone accounts for 87 % of the population as well as most of the country’s economic activity.
Many sectors are at risk of loss and damage caused by gradual changes and extreme events related to climate change. For Suriname to develop in a sustainable manner, it must incorporate climate change and its potential impacts into its decision-making process based primarily on scientific evidence. The analysis set out in the report focuses on changes in sea level, temperature, precipitation, relative humidity and winds for the seven sub-national localities of Paramaribo, Albina, Bigi Pan MUMA, Brokopondo, Kwamalasamutu, Tafelberg Nature Reserve and Upper Tapanahony.
The report also analyses climate risk for the country’s ten districts, examining the factors that increase their exposure and vulnerability around the four most important sectors affected by climate change: infrastructure, agriculture, water and forestry, as well as examining the effects on the other sectors.
The State of the Climate report provides essential data for Suriname to develop and update its climate change policies and targets. These policies and targets should serve to properly integrate climate change adaptation and resilience building into the day-to-day operations of the government.
All of this, as part of the project “Climate risk projections and models for Suriname”, where in addition to the analysis for the report, three online sessions were developed with the aim of building technical capacities for a local specialised and academic audience, as well as to replicate climate projections and climate risk assessment autonomously in the future.
Access to the report here: State of the Climate Report: Suriname: Summary for Policy Makers (iadb.org)
Source: Global Factor
