Airports across Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) are experiencing the effects of climate change – higher temperatures, rising sea levels and stronger storms – that threaten critical airport infrastructure and impact air operations.
According to the study Adaptation of Airports in Latin America and the Caribbean to Climate Change, prepared in collaboration with the International Council of Airports in Latin America and the Caribbean (ACI-LAC) and Manchester Metropolitan University, 83% of respondents are already experiencing the effects of climate change , and 100% expect to be affected by 2050.
Additionally, 91% of respondents are already experiencing or expect to experience higher average and extreme temperatures, 89% are experiencing or expect an increase in precipitation, and 83% are experiencing more frequent or more intense storms.
Climate change will alter ecosystems and change species migration patterns. New bird migration patterns may cause an increase in bird strikes, which has operational and safety impacts.
Thus, 57% of respondents are already experiencing or expect to experience changes in wildlife patterns at some point in the future, and the remainder are already experiencing changes.
Strong winds can impact airport operations, reducing capacity and causing delays. In this regard, 49% are already experiencing changes in wind patterns , and 41% expect to experience changes in the short and medium term.
“Increased precipitation, higher average and extreme temperatures, increased storms and rising sea levels are the climate impacts that respondents expect to pose the greatest challenge to their airports,” the study said.
In this regard, airports in the region are beginning to carry out climate change risk assessments and implement adaptation measures, however, “given the magnitude of the effects of climate change expected in the region, it is vital to increase and accelerate actions.”
The study noted that this phenomenon is increasingly affecting the Latin American and Caribbean region, threatening critical airport infrastructure and aircraft operations. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, created in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), identifies Central and South America as highly vulnerable and strongly impacted by climate change, highlighting temperature increases and changes in rainfall patterns as key risks across the region, and rising sea levels as a threat in coastal areas.
“As a result, there is a growing need for airports in the region to adapt and build resilience to the impacts of climate change. This is essential to reduce vulnerabilities – both damage and costs – while protecting service continuity and critical infrastructure. Awareness of the potential impacts of climate change and the need to adapt and build resilience is increasing across the sector, and more and more airports in the region and around the world are beginning to conduct climate change risk assessments and develop adaptation strategies,” the study said.
Under this scenario, it was recommended to continue and increase current actions to raise awareness of the potential impacts on airports in the region, as well as current actions to coordinate, collaborate, promote learning and share good practices through peer support, bilateral meetings, working groups, workshops and conferences, as well as other international forums.
It also promotes and supports risk assessments, provides information and access to existing guidance on the implementation of adaptation measures, plans and strategies, and collaborates with academia.
“We need to act immediately to raise awareness, promote climate risk assessment and implement adaptation measures to achieve an airport sector in LAC that is well adapted and resilient to the impacts of looming climate change,” the study reads.
From the survey, 35 individual responses were received from 32 airports or groups of airports across the LAC region, corresponding to 53 airports in total, around 15% of the 365 ACI-LAC member airports.
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