Climate Change Adaptation and Socio-Economic Resilience in Mexico’s Grijalva-Usumacinta Watershed

Abstract

The Grijalva-Usumacinta watershed in Mexico’s Tabasco and Chiapas states is home to six million people and a rich biodiversity. It is also the major source of Mexico’s hydropower, as well as in-land and coastal hydrocarbons. However, the area’s close proximity to the Gulf of Mexico makes it highly vulnerable to climate change effects: rising sea levels, destructive hurricanes, heightened rainfall and floods. These climate change impacts could be devastating, particularly for the 31 % of the population that live in extreme poverty and face food insecurity.

This paper presents an inter-disciplinary assessment of future climate change scenarios and associated impacts in the region, particularly for vulnerable populations living in rural areas. It focuses on the role of institutions in mediating interactions between climate change impacts and livelihoods, as well as in shaping adaptation responses. The assessment used can be broadly applied in comparable settings in developing states and emerging economies, with increasing climate change risks and threats. In so doing, it provides a reliable methodology that can be used to assess regional vulnerability and design climate change adaptation initiatives in rural areas.

The paper draws on experiences gained from the preparation of the “Plan de Adaptación, Ordenamiento y Manejo Integral de las Cuencas de los Ríos Grijalva y Usumacinta”, project ATN/OC-12432—ME, funded by the Inter-American Development Bank and developed by Abt Associates, Inc. The views expressed in the paper are those of the authors and do not represent those of the Inter-American Development Bank or Abt Associates, Inc. For further information see: http://blogs.iadb.org/cambioclimatico/2014/05/08/adaptacion-ordenamiento-y-manejo-integral-el-caso-del-sur-de-mexico/.