Country

Panama

Explore historical and projected climate data, climate data by sector, impacts, key vulnerabilities and what adaptation measures are being taken. Explore the overview for a general context of how climate change is affecting Panama.

Adaptation

Panama's contribution to global emissions of greenhouse gases is low. However, it is highly vulnerable to adverse effects of climate change. The country's Intended Nationally Determined Contribution suggests actions for adaptation. Additionally, the Government Strategic Plan (2010-2014) focuses on improving adaptation efforts, namely by reducing the country's vulnerability to natural hazards, strengthening and mainstreaming environmental protection, and improving public health resilience against vector-borne diseases.

Adaptation Options for Key Sectors

  • Improve irrigation efficiency. 
  • Introduce new crop varieties that are more resistant to future climate change conditions in agriculture. 
  • Support research aimed at controlling plagues and crop diseases. 
  • Implement agro-ecological zoning of crops by taking into account the weather variability produced by climate change. 
  • Manage protected areas and elaborate on plans for participative management.
  • Develop new irrigation technologies.
  • Strengthen water and weather station network to better predict future changes in the water regime, including floods and droughts. 
  • Increase water supply, e.g. by using groundwater, building reservoirs, improving or stabilizing watershed management, desalination. 
  • Decrease water demands, e.g. by increasing efficiency, reducing water losses, water recycling, changing irrigation practices. 
  • Improve or develop water management. 
  • Develop and introduce flood and drought monitoring and control system. 
  • Promote conservation and rational use of water resources. 
  • Establish a strategy on health and climate change. 
  • Improve health statistics. 
  • Monitor and develop projection for health indicators. 
  • Conduct studies to identify vulnerable regions. 
  • Improve sanitation and education. 
  • Improve technology development and transfer.
  • Implement an Integrated Coastal Zone Management programme, including guidelines for new investments. 
  • Allow for increase flux and reflux of salty water to mangroves while keeping water channels clean. 
  • Improve the urban plans (construction lines) and increase the treatment of residual waters. 
  • Improve sanitation and pluvial systems to wider ranges of extreme event. 
  • Improve the use and management of vulnerable areas, mangroves, river coastlines, and beaches. 
  • Improve shrimp farms with relevant and updated technologies that incorporate ecological innovations and restrain intrusion of salty waters into agricultural land. 
  • Implement beach regeneration projects using “soft” and ecological approaches. 

Gaps and Needs

  • Improve access and validation of hydrometeorological data as well as translation of climate data into meaningful information at the sector level.
  • Improve quality and scope of scientific research that evaluates associated impacts of El Niño and La Niña to vulnerable sectors.
  • Overall, the mechanisms for research, information sharing, cooperation and budgeting both horizontally and vertically in government institutions related to climate is weak and ad-hoc, and driven by the size and seriousness of hazards. Consequently, local government units do not take a pro-active approach to climate change, and provinces are left with insufficient funding to adequately address the additional stressors on society posed by climate variability and change.
  • Land tenure policy may provide an obstacle to implementing effective adaptation interventions. In Panama, approximately 6 percent of agricultural producers farm almost 70 percent of the land, while about 80 percent of producers own less than 8 percent of agricultural land. Inequitable land tenure limits economic opportunities of poor and marginalized groups and also hinders implementation of effective adaptation interventions.
  • Although adaptation needs in several sectors are being addressed, gaps in programming appear to be present with respect to areas such as human health, gender concerns, biodiversity and the built environment.
  • At local levels, early warning systems, weather forecast technology and more modern communication systems are needed, especially for long-term forecasting. In addition, skills in using software programs for modeling climate will need to be developed.
  • Training and awareness-raising on climate change threats and climate-resilient development will be necessary to better equip those whose livelihoods depend on climate-sensitive sectors.
  • The amount and distribution of meteorological stations could be improved. Such stations currently provide uneven patches of density in the data, with an average coverage of 312 square kilometers (km2) per station, in comparison with the recommended standards of the World Meteorological Organization of 20 km2.