Colombia Makes Strides on Climate Change Mitigation

The study was shared during an event organized by the Adaptation Fund, Fedesarrollo and CAF—development bank of Latin America—, which presented the results of the research and the lessons learned from the work performed by the Adaptation Fund.

According to the study, developing infrastructure that adequately meets the needs of each community needs to consider cultural features, including uses, customs and traditions.

It is also clear that the investment made through entities such as the Adaptation Fund helps reduce fiscal risk of countries due to the impact of disasters caused by climate phenomena such as El Niño or La Niña. In other words, investing in climate change resilience and adaptation projects helps improve the quality of life of countries and reduce possible disaster losses, such as those that occurred in Colombia with La Niña in 2010-2011.

The research also warns that infrastructure components need to revitalize the economy, as a cornerstone of project sustainability and productive development of communities.

Similarly, with interventions such as those carried out by the Adaptation Fund in rural and remote areas, the presence of the state becomes more visible, and strengthens inter-institutional ties in the regions.

The experiences presented during the event are based on two housing projects developed by the Adaptation Fund: La Mojana Zone 2 in San Benito Abad (Sucre) and Siapana II in Uribia (La Guajira); as well as transport projects such as the Yatí-Bodega highway in Bolivar.

The forum “An Experience of the Adaptation Fund to Build a More Sustainable Country” also featured a panel involving experts on climate change and adapted infrastructure, moderated by Ximena Cadena, deputy director of Fedesarrollo.