Social Impacts of Climate Change in Bolivia : A Municipal Level Analysis of the Effects of Recent Climate Change on Life Expectancy, Consumption, Poverty and Inequality

This paper analyzes the direct evidence of climate change in Bolivia during the past 60 years, and estimates how these changes have affected life expectancy and consumption levels for each of the 311 municipalities in Bolivia. Contrary to the predictions of most general circulation models, the evidence shows a consistent cooling trend of about 0.2°C per decade over all highland areas, slight and scattered evidence of warming in the lowlands, and no systematic changes in precipitation. The estimations indicate that the 1°C cooling experienced in the already cold highlands over the past five decades likely has reduced consumption possibilities by about 2-3 percent in these areas. Since the much richer population in the lowlands have benefitted slightly from recent climate change, the simulations suggest that recent climate change has contributed to an increase in inequality and poverty in Bolivia. Poor and indigenous peoples in the highlands are among the most severely affected populations. No statistically significant effect on life expectancy was found.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Andersen, Lykke E., Verner, Dorte
Language:	English
Published:	2009-10-01
Subjects:	AGGREGATE LEVEL, ALTITUDE, ANNUAL PRECIPITATION, ATMOSPHERIC CLIMATE, AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD CONSUMPTION, CALCULATION, CLIMATE, CLIMATE CHANGE, CLIMATE CHANGE SCENARIO, CLIMATE CHANGES, CLIMATE DATA, CLIMATE IMPACTS, CLIMATE MODELS, CLIMATE VARIABILITY, CLIMATE VARIABLES, CLIMATES, CLIMATIC CONDITIONS, CLIMATIC DATA, CLIMATOLOGY, CLOUD COVER, CLOUDS, COLD CLIMATES, DAILY TEMPERATURE, DESERTS, DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS, DRY SEASON, ECONOMIC GROWTH, EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE, ELECTRICITY, EMISSION, EMISSION ABATEMENT, ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION, FROST, FUTURE CLIMATE CHANGE, GLACIAL MELT, GLACIERS, GLOBAL TEMPERATURES, GLOBAL WARMING, HARSH CLIMATES, HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, HUMAN SETTLEMENTS, ICE, ICE AGE, ICE CORES, IMPACT OF CLIMATE, IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE, INCOME, INDIGENOUS PEOPLE, INDIGENOUS PEOPLES, INDIGENOUS POPULATIONS, INTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGE, IPCC, IRRADIATION, LIFE EXPECTANCY, LOCAL CLIMATES, METEOROLOGICAL STATIONS, MIGRATION, MORTALITY, NATIONAL LEVEL, OXYGEN, PER CAPITA CONSUMPTION, PER CAPITA INCOME, POLICY RESEARCH, POLICY RESEARCH WORKING PAPER, POPULATION SIZE, PP, PRECIPITATION, PRECIPITATION ANOMALIES, PROGRESS, PURCHASING POWER, RAIN, RAINFOREST, REGIONAL CLIMATE, REGIONAL CLIMATE PROJECTIONS, RELATIVE HUMIDITY, RESOURCE ECONOMICS, RESPECT, SCENARIOS, SCIENTIFIC CONSENSUS, SEA LEVEL, SEASON, SNOWFALL, SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT, SUMMER TEMPERATURES, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, TEMPERATURE, TEMPERATURE ANOMALIES, TEMPERATURE ANOMALY, TEMPERATURE CHANGE, TEMPERATURE CHANGES, TEMPERATURE DATA, TEMPERATURE RANGE, TEMPERATURE RECORDS, TEMPERATURE VARIABLES, TEMPERATURE VARIATIONS, TROPICAL CLIMATE, TROPICS, URBAN AREAS, URBANIZATION, VULNERABILITY, VULNERABILITY TO CLIMATE CHANGE, WEATHER, WEATHER STATIONS, WINTER TEMPERATURES,
Online Access:	http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20091026085048 https://hdl.handle.net/10986/4284
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