About the project

El Salvador is one of the world’s most vulnerable and most climate change-affected countries. Since the 1950s, the temperature in this country has increased on average by 1.3 ° C compared with the global average of 0.8 ° C [1] .

According to the 'Economics of Climate Change in Central America' Initiative (ECCCA), which uses the methodology of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), by 2100 a likely 2.6 ° C temperature rise is expected in El Salvador under a B2 scenario, and 4.7 ° C under an A2 scenario. In both cases, 2030, the increase will be about one degree.

It is anticipated that these temperature increases will have an impact at all levels: economic, social and environmental. In urban areas, the consequences could be worse due to the lack of adequate social and environmental planning. Thus, it is likely that the high temperatures in urban areas will have effects on different sectors: in the field of health, extreme heat waves could cause the proliferation of illnesses and diseases; in the economy, labour productivity would be diminished; and the energy sector will see an increased demand for energy due to the installation of air conditioning.

CDKN has been supporting the development of this project in order to analyse historical data and determine trends, projections and scenarios of gradual increases in temperature and extreme heat events in the Metropolitan Area of San Salvador, as well as evaluating the economic and social impacts of these increases. This information will be useful for the Ministry of Environment to commit national decision-makers and subnational organisations to take action to reduce the impacts identified in the framework of San Salvador’s urban development processes and planning, under the objectives and main strategic lines of its National Plan on Climate Change.

The purpose of the project is to support decision-makers from San Salvador prioritise actions to tackle the economic and social impacts of temperature increases in the most affected sectors, using a climate compatible and gender sensitive approach, in order to contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and resilient urban development.

So far, as part of the start-up phase, the consultant project team has agreed with the Ministry of Environment methodology to develop technical studies and an outreach strategy involving the key players.

[1] Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources of El Salvador (MARN) - National Service of Territorial Studies (SNET).

Project funding: £ 146,000

Partner: Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources of El Salvador (MARN)

Service provider: Fundación TECNALIA Research & Innovation

Image Credit: Ruth Preza / Licence CC BY-SA 3.0