Climate change is now producing an annual outcome of 400,000 deaths through hunger and communicable diseases, which particularly hit children in developing countries such as Colombia. On an annual basis, this worldwide climate variation is now bringing downpours in one part of the planet (the east side of North and South America, northern Europe, and Central Asia), and in others droughts (southern Africa and parts of southern Asia). And this means flooding, displacement of populations, food shortages, and mobility difficulties, causing total losses in the region of one percent of the world’s GDP.
Monitoring all this with concern is the International Panel on Climate Change, set up by the United Nations, which has placed world governments and citizens on alert. Colombia is just one country under threat due to its high vulnerability level, as has been demonstrated by the climatic cycles of the El Niño (drought regime) and La Niña (rainfall regime) weather patterns, both of which are currently linked to water scarcity, soil instability, rising sea levels, and flooding.
So, academic actions are fundamental for a better understanding of the causes of the phenomenon and its effects, with the aim of influencing state policy on climate change prevention, mitigation, and adaptation. Scholarly efforts are also fundamental
for creating awareness in civil society, business and labor groups, and government bodies on the human impacts relating to this issue,” point out professors of different faculties from the Universidad del Rosario in their explanation of the existence of the Climate Change group.
This group comprises a number of researchers who create scenarios for debate and academic work in analyzing problems from angles wide enough to include different scales of analysis, dialogue, and socio-ecological challenges. This leads to proposals for actions based on various ecosystemic, economic, social, and political realities within the country.
“The idea is that each of us brings his or her particular knowledge and experience in different areas such as biology, jurisprudence, and anthropology, among others. It’s a question of merging knowledge, thus making a greater contribution,” explains Diana Bocare jo, a group member teaching at the School of Human Sciences. The rest of the group comprises professors Juan Posada and Adriana Sánchez, from the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics; Andrés Rey, from the Faculty of Jurisprudence; Gustavo Adolgo Carrión, from the Faculty of Political Science, Government, and International Relations; Leonardo Briceño Ayala, from the School of Medicine and Health Sciences; Esteban Rozo, from Anthropology; Alejandro Fejed, from Urban Management and Development; Jenny Andrea Díaz, from Habitat Management; and Master’s Degree student, Javier Fernando Cárdenas.