Natural catastrophes frequently strike APEC economies, increasing the risk of economic loss and threatening the livelihoods of the most vulnerable populations.
To address these challenges, APEC members, through the Emergency Preparedness Working Group, are intensifying their cooperation to enhance disaster prevention and risk reduction.
They are also collaborating on climate change adaptation initiatives in vulnerable communities using tools like early warning and risk alert systems and developing infrastructure for climate resiliency.
Climate change, challenges and opportunities
“Climate change is not only a challenge, but it is also an opportunity to do some institutional arrangements with a new vision for our economy,” said Juan Castro, Peru’s Minister of Environment, as he presented Peru’s climate adaptation plan to APEC officials in Arequipa last week.
Minister Castro emphasized that in Peru, water resources are most impacted by climate change due to their direct link to food insecurity.
He stated, “Economic growth that we need today needs to have resilient infrastructure. It needs to have different economic models,” adding that Peru requires around USD 80 billion of sustainable investments between 2024 and 2025 to support climate change reduction efforts.
Minister Castro further illustrated the effects of climate change on Peru by pointing out that the Cordillera Blanca, the highest tropical mountain range in Peru, has lost almost 40 percent of its glacier’s mass.
He added, “Peru is moving towards a circular economy. We are leaving the linear economy model and moving towards a new economic model so we can have a more environmentally friendly transition.”
Victoria Salinas, Head of Resilience at the United States Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), highlighted that in 2023, the United States faced 114 disasters requiring federal support, averaging one disaster every three days.
“Since disasters are becoming more frequent and intense, this unprecedented operational tempo may unfortunately become our new normal in 2024 and beyond, something we must tackle head on. The truth is, building resilience is critical to our survival,” said Salinas in her video remarks at the workshop.
She emphasized the importance of continued collaboration, sharing experiences, and resources to strengthen capabilities at home and across APEC economies.
Salinas urged, “We must keep relentlessly focused on operationalizing resilience, just like we have for disaster response and recovery. We can do this by sharing knowledge and best practices of frameworks, we can implement to protect our people and communities before, during and after disasters.”
Juan Narciso, an official with Peru’s Agency for Environmental Assessment and Enforcement, underscored the importance of environmental monitoring in identifying preventive actions that mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.
He stressed the need for improved capacity to identify and address environmental risks associated with climate change and to promote innovative solutions to protect communities, especially the most vulnerable.
Dr. Kimberly D. Coleman, co-chair of the APEC Emergency Preparedness Working Group, concluded by emphasizing the necessity of strategic partnerships.
“It’s going to take strategic partnerships to build and sustain resilient communities for us and for future generations,” she said. Dr. Coleman added, “We must consider partnerships with other APEC working groups as well as with private industry, as this can strengthen economy-to-economy collaboration to meet our shared goals.”
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