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Losses and damages connected to glacier retreat in the Cordillera Blanca, Peru

Author

Listed:
  • Alina Motschmann

    (University of Zurich)

  • Christian Huggel

    (University of Zurich)

  • Mark Carey

    (University of Oregon)

  • Holly Moulton

    (University of Oregon)

  • Noah Walker-Crawford

    (University of Manchester)

  • Randy Muñoz

    (University of Zurich)

Abstract

The mountain cryosphere is one of the strongest affected systems by climate change. Glacier shrinkage leads to cascading impacts, including changes in river flow regimes, availability of water resources for downstream populations and economy, changes in the occurrence and severity of natural hazards, and cultural changes associated with landscape character and identity. In this study, we analyze impacts of mountain cryosphere change through a lens of Loss and Damage (L&D), a mechanism of international climate policy that tries to evaluate and reduce negative consequences of climate change for societies. We analyze the effects of climate change on glacier change, glacier lake formation and growth, hydrological regimes, and associated impacts on human societies in the Cordillera Blanca in the Peruvian Andes, now and under future scenarios. We use various methods such as literature review, glacial lake outburst flood, and hydrologic modeling to examine three major dimensions of cryospheric change and associated human impacts: (i) ice loss; (ii) glacial hazards; and (iii) variability of water availability. We identify the damage and losses in terms of the number of people affected by glacial hazards, monetized agricultural crop loss due to water loss, and non-economic values local people attribute to glacier loss. We find that different levels of warming have important negative but differentiated effects on natural and human systems. We also contend that the extent of loss and damage will largely be determined by governance and adaptation decisions such as water resource management and disaster risk management. We suggest that these lines of evidence are more explicitly taken into account in L&D policies.

Suggested Citation

  • Alina Motschmann & Christian Huggel & Mark Carey & Holly Moulton & Noah Walker-Crawford & Randy Muñoz, 2020. "Losses and damages connected to glacier retreat in the Cordillera Blanca, Peru," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 162(2), pages 837-858, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:climat:v:162:y:2020:i:2:d:10.1007_s10584-020-02770-x
    DOI: 10.1007/s10584-020-02770-x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ben Marzeion & Georg Kaser & Fabien Maussion & Nicolas Champollion, 2018. "Limited influence of climate change mitigation on short-term glacier mass loss," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 8(4), pages 305-308, April.
    2. Matthias Huss & Regine Hock, 2018. "Global-scale hydrological response to future glacier mass loss," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 8(2), pages 135-140, February.
    3. Mark Carey & Christian Huggel & Jeffrey Bury & César Portocarrero & Wilfried Haeberli, 2012. "An integrated socio-environmental framework for glacier hazard management and climate change adaptation: lessons from Lake 513, Cordillera Blanca, Peru," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 112(3), pages 733-767, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. John E. Gordon, 2023. "Climate Change and Geotourism: Impacts, Challenges, and Opportunities," Tourism and Hospitality, MDPI, vol. 4(4), pages 1-25, September.
    2. Shijin Wang, 2024. "Opportunities and threats of cryosphere change to the achievement of UN 2030 SDGs," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-13, December.
    3. Caroline Taylor & Tom R. Robinson & Stuart Dunning & J. Rachel Carr & Matthew Westoby, 2023. "Glacial lake outburst floods threaten millions globally," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-10, December.
    4. Ruoshen Lin & Gang Mei & Ziyang Liu & Ning Xi & Xiaona Zhang, 2021. "Susceptibility Analysis of Glacier Debris Flow by Investigating the Changes in Glaciers Based on Remote Sensing: A Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-23, June.
    5. Zongji Yang & Bo Pang & Wufan Dong & Dehua Li & Wei Shao, 2023. "Hydromechanical coupling mechanism and an early warning method for paraglacial debris flows triggered by infiltration: Insights from field monitoring in Tianmo gully, Tibetan Plateau," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 117(3), pages 3287-3305, July.

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