Climate Change
Devastating Central
America
Global warming threatens
to severely affect
environment, human
health, and food safety
in Central America,
participants at a
Guatemalan forum on the
issue warned.
When speaking at the
meeting "The Civil
Society in front of
Climate Change,"
Guatemalan Environment
Minister Luis Ferrate
pointed out that
epidemics such as
malaria and dengue are
already spreading in the
region.
The rise in temperature
allows for the
reproduction of
mosquitoes, flies and
all sorts of disease
transmitting agents, the
official added.
Felix Mencos, head of
the Health Ministry's
Department for
Epidemiologic
Emergencies, said
diseases such as
diarrheas and
respiratory afflictions
will increase between 5
and 10 percent due to
climate change.
Other consequences of
the phenomenon like
floods and draughts, and
the consequent loss of
crops are also issues of
concern among the
participants at the
two-day meeting in that
capital.
In Guatemala, climate
changes are responsible
for the disappearance of
rivers or their reduced
water level.
Unusual events such as
snowfall in the
Ixchiguan municipality,
or the disaster caused
by Storm Stan, which
devastated most of the
territory, are also
reported.
The poorest people, the
minister said, are the
ones who most suffer
hardships caused by
those disasters, for
lack of resources to
access preventive health
care, and food. |
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