Confronting Climate Debt: Essential Strategies for Central American Cities to Adapt and Thrive

A recent study examined over 53,000 scientific papers on climate change in cities around the world from 2012 to 2022. This research shows that we’ve made big strides in understanding how climate change affects urban areas. Yet, there are significant gaps in knowledge, especially in places like Central America, where small cities are often overlooked. This lack of data makes it tough to develop effective public policies in regions that are highly susceptible to climate change impacts.

Central America and the Dominican Republic are feeling the heat. They’re facing more extreme weather, biodiversity loss, water shortages, food insecurity, and relocation of people. An analysis of urban climate actions in seven countries shows troubling trends. Most efforts focus on cutting emissions, but strategies to adapt to climate change are few and far between. In fact, only 7.2% of the actions studied were about adaptation, which is essential for reducing vulnerability.

According to the findings, half of the actions identified are in national capitals. San José (Costa Rica) leads with 25 initiatives, followed by Panama City and San Salvador. This concentration highlights a worrying trend—a focus on major cities leaves out many smaller towns and rural areas, which also need support.

Taking Costa Rica as an example, San José has a mix of mitigation, monitoring, and cross-sector initiatives, but zero specific adaptation actions. This shows that while there are regulatory frameworks in place, implementing localized climate plans is still in the early stages.

Panama follows a similar path, with most actions centered in the capital. In El Salvador, there’s a bit more balance, but adaptation strategies are still lacking. Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua show similar patterns, with major cities only dabbling in adaptation actions. Even in the Dominican Republic, where Santo Domingo has 12 initiatives, most efforts are limited.

This lack of focus on adaptation is concerning. Given how vulnerable this region is to flooding, drought, and crop loss, it’s critical to strengthen these efforts. Cities may be working on reducing emissions, but they’re not enhancing their ability to cope with severe climate events. A shift in strategy is needed—adaptation must be a priority, not an afterthought.

Adding to the problem, only 18 out of 166 actions studied incorporate cross-cutting approaches, like social inclusion and coordination across different sectors. Many initiatives lack a strong regulatory framework and fail to connect local efforts with national policies and international agreements.

Given the situation, what should be done? Here are some key priorities:

• Decentralize climate action to support local governments, especially in smaller cities.
• Boost adaptation efforts to tackle vulnerabilities in water, health, agriculture, and infrastructure.
• Promote cross-sector approaches to ensure equity and sustainable development.
• Enhance monitoring to focus on impacts and results, not just compliance.
• Improve coordination between national policies, local initiatives, and civil society.

The disconnect between our urgent need for urban climate action and the scientific output in this area is concerning. Addressing this gap demands significant investment in research that focuses on urban adaptation. This is vital to safeguard lives, infrastructure, and the overall sustainability of cities in the face of climate change.

For a deeper dive into this topic, you can refer to the IPCC report on climate-related risks.

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