Working Group 3 Report Climate Change and Puerto Rico's Society

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Working Group 3 Report Climate Change and Puerto Rico's Society Working Group 3 Report Climate Change and Puerto Rico’s Society and Economy Editors: 1 1 Kasey R. Jacobs and Ernesto L. Diaz Contributing Authors (In Alphabetical Order): 2 3 4 3 1 Lisamarie Carrubba 5, Juan A. Castañer , Ruperto6 Chaparro , Wanda1 L. Crespo Acevedo3 , Ernesto8 Diaz , Raimundo10,11 Espinoza , Soledad9 Gaztambide8 , Kasey R. Jacobs , Roberto3 Moyano , Víctor 1Nieto , Susan Pacheco12 , Antares Ramos 13, Pedro Santa , Raúl Santiago Bartolomei , Raul Santini Rivera , Jose Seguinot Acknowledgments:Barbosa , Jose Juan Terrasa This report is a product of the project Puerto Rico Coastal Adaptation Project carried out by the Puerto Rico Coastal Zone Management Program and funded by NOAA’s OCRM through Section 309 of the Coastal Zone Management Act. A special thanks to EPA, DNER, NOAA, USFWS, USGS, and IITF for sponsoring the No- vember 2011 conference Climate Change in the Caribbean: Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands where many key discussions occurred as well as the Puerto Rico Tourism Company, the Puerto Rico Conservation Trust 251 and The Nature Conservancy for their support of conference activities and throughout the development of this report. We would like to thank you Carla Loubriel for assistance with editing earlier versions of the report. We also thank the Social and Environmental Research Institute, the South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium, and the University of South Carolina for their development and training of the VCAPS diagrams and process that was used to facilitate WG 3 meeting discussions and the writing process. 1Puerto Rico Coastal Zone Management Program at the Departmentg process. of Natural and Environmental Re- sources 2 NOAA Marine Fisheries Service 3Estudios Técnicos, Inc. 4Puerto Rico Sea Grant College Program 5 The Nature Conservancy Society and Economy 6The Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico 3 Report: Group Working 7University of Puerto Rico School of Architecture 8AA.E.I.O.U 9NOAA Ocean and Coastal Resource Management 10 The Climate Reality Project – Puerto Rico 11University of Texas 12 University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus 13The Puerto Rico Tourism Company, Division of Planning TABLE OF CONTENTS Overview OF Puerto Rico’S Existing VULNERABILITIES .........................................................................................253 WORKING Group 3 Report Organization ........................................................................................................................157 Climate CHANGE AND Puerto Rico’S SOCIETY AND Economy (BY SECTOR) ..................................................260 CRITICAL Infrastructure .....................................................................................................................................................260 Energy ............................................................................................................................................................................................261 Communications ....................................................................................................................................................................261 Transportation .....................................................................................................................................................................262 Ports ...............................................................................................................................................................................................263 Waste Management AND Recycling .........................................................................................................................264 THE Industrial LANDSCAPE AND Brownfields .................................................................................................264 BUILDINGS .....................................................................................................................................................................................264 Historic AND Cultural SITES .........................................................................................................................................267 Water Resources ...................................................................................................................................................................269 BOx: POSSIBLY IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON PUERTO RICO’S AGRICULTURAL WATER RESOURCES BY ERIC W. HARMSEN ....................................................................................................................276 Waste Water AND Storm Water ..................................................................................................................................278 DAMS, LEVEES AND Flood Control ..............................................................................................................................279 BOx: Climate CHANGE AND Health Impacts IN Puerto Rico ......................................................................280 252 Economic Development ........................................................................................................................................................283 A BRIEF Overview OF Puerto Rico’S Economy ....................................................................................................283 Puerto Rico’S Economy AND Climate CHANGE ...................................................................................................284 Real Growth OF Puerto Rico’S Economy .............................................................................................................287 Manufacturing .......................................................................................................................................................................288 BOx: FILM AND Entertainment Industry ..............................................................................................................290 TOURISM .........................................................................................................................................................................................291 OUTDOOR Recreation ..........................................................................................................................................................295 Finance ..........................................................................................................................................................................................297 BOx: WHERE WILL FUTURE coastal disasters occur? ...................................................................................298 Society and Economy Working Group 3 Report: 3 Report: Group Working ECONOMIC STUDIES ..................................................................................................................................................................300 RESULTS FROM RISK ASSESSMENT WORKSHOPS ............................................................................................................301 RISK MATRIx FOR SOCIETAL ASSETS OF PUERTO RICO ................................................................................................301 BOx: THE psycho-spiritual value OF nature conservation IN THE face OF climate CHANGE ................................................................................................................................................................305 CONCLUSION ..........................................................................................................................................................................................307 WORKS CITED ........................................................................................................................................................................................308 Overview of Puerto Rico’s Existing Vulnerabilities In 2010, 15% of the population was 65 years or more, versus 11.2% reported in 2000. According to the 2010 Census, 56.3% of the population lives The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico consists of below the poverty line. Per capita income in 78 municipalities; 44 are coastal or insular. As 2010 was $10,392, significantly lower than the of April 1, 2010 Puerto Rico’s population was $26,059 reported for the mainland United States. 3,725,789, or 82,821 less than in April 2000. This The highest educational level attained by 57% of 56% of the population lives in coastal is the first time since the Federal Census has been municipalities conducted in Puerto Rico that the Puerto Rican • 52% of population are female population decreased from one decade to another. • 25% of the population are under 18 years The analysis conducted by the Puerto Rico Coastal of age • Zone Management Program using the 2010 Census Unemployment rate: 14.9% (as of March 2012) data shows that 56% of the population (2,317,189 • people) live in the coastal municipalities. Puerto 56.3% of the population lives below the 2 2 poverty line Rico has an area of 9,497 km (3,508 mi ) and a • Median household income: $18,692 population2 density of almost 4492 inhabitants per Per capita income: $10,392 (2010). km (449 inhabitants per ~0.4mi ). According to • 94.1% of the population is literate the United Nations Demographic Yearbook, this • • represents one of the highest population densities in the World. Average life expectancy is 78.5 years 253 and 94.1% of the population is literate; Puerto Rico would rank high in terms of the United
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