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Viewing cable 06LAPAZ2674, BOLIVIAN GLACIERS RECEDING RAPIDLY

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
06LAPAZ2674 2006-10-03 21:06 2011-08-25 00:00 UNCLASSIFIED Embassy La Paz
VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHLP #2674/01 2762106
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 032106Z OCT 06
FM AMEMBASSY LA PAZ
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0771
INFO RUEHAC/AMEMBASSY ASUNCION 6155
RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA 3469
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 7327
RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES 4592
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 1846
RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA 1886
RUEHME/AMEMBASSY MEXICO 1803
RUEHMN/AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO 4056
RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO 4482
RUEHSJ/AMEMBASSY SAN JOSE 1559
RUEHSG/AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO 9056
RUEHC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHINGTON DC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RHEBAAA/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC
RUEHC/DEPT OF INTERIOR WASHINGTON DC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC
UNCLAS LA PAZ 002674 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA/AND LPETRONI 
BRASILIA FOR JSTORY 
SAN JOSE FOR BLINK 
USAID/LAC FOR JBISSON 
USAID/EGAT FOR DMULLER AND CELRON 
USAID/COLOMBIA FOR BBAYLE 
COMMERCE FOR JANGLIN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON PGOV BL
SUBJECT: BOLIVIAN GLACIERS RECEDING RAPIDLY 
 
1. (U) Summary: Bolivian glaciers are receding so rapidly, 
say scientists, that most could disappear within the next ten 
to 15 years, with alarming implications for potable water and 
hydroelectric energy supplies.  Scientists tie the last two 
decades' acceleration in glacial melt to the greater 
intensity and frequency of El Nino events, which in turn are 
linked to gradually rising global temperatures.  GOB 
officials are aware of the glaciers' recession but appear 
ill-equipped to cope with what may be serious consequences. 
End summary. 
 
2. (U) The small glaciers of the Bolivian Andes are receding 
so rapidly, say Bolivian and French scientists, that the 
majority could disappear within the next ten to 15 years. 
According to a 14-year study conducted by the Bolivian 
Institute of Hydrology and the French Institut de Recherche 
pour le Developpement, glacier melt has nearly tripled since 
the early 1980s, with glaciers receding more quickly than at 
any time since the mid-19th century, when the Little Ice Age 
ended locally.  Institute of Hydrology Deputy Director Etson 
Ramirez told Econoff October 3 that melting accelerated 
particularly quickly in the last five to ten years, 
ultimately resulting in the near total disappearance of the 
Chacaltaya glacier (representative of 80 percent of Bolivian 
glaciers, which typically have surface areas of less than one 
square kilometer) and significant reductions in the size of 
two others.  Chacaltaya alone shrunk more than 40 percent 
between 1992 and 1998; today only traces remain. 
 
3. (U) Scientists tie the last two decades' acceleration in 
glacial melt to the greater intensity and frequency of El 
Nino events, which in turn are linked to gradually rising 
global temperatures.  Ramirez pointed out that El Nino events 
now occur approximately once every two years, as opposed to 
once every 12 or more years, and appear to be related to 
higher average global temperatures and corresponding shifts 
in weather patterns.  He explained that Andean glaciers are 
particularly sensitive to climatic fluctuations due to their 
position in the tropics and to the mechanisms by which they 
function.  In contrast to glaciers in the Alps and other 
northern hemisphere mountain ranges, which undergo long 
accumulation periods in winter, Andean glaciers undergo 
relatively short accumulation periods in summer, when 
precipitation increases; at the same time, the summer's high 
radiation levels accelerate melting, so that Andean glaciers 
typically accumulate mass less rapidly than their northern 
counterparts. 
 
4. (U) Ramirez and other scientists point to alarming 
implications for potable water and hydroelectric energy 
supplies, noting that declining glacial runoff will seriously 
affect the cities of La Paz and El Alto, which together rely 
on run-off for an estimated 80 percent of potable water and 
70 percent of the hydroelectric power generated by the 
region's ten plants.  Scientists predict significant water 
and energy shortages by 2009, when demand for both resources 
will likely far outpace supply.  The cities' two million 
inhabitants will be sorely affected, as will the many rural 
communities relying on glacial run-off to replenish rivers 
and watersheds and to provide water for crops, irrigation 
projects, and livestock. 
 
5. (U) Comment: According to Ramirez, GOB officials are aware 
of the glaciers' rapid recession but appear ill-equipped to 
cope with what may be serious consequences.  As recently as a 
few years ago, officials refused to accept the scale of the 
problem; today, while they recognize it, they are far from 
figuring out how to manage it.  Funding for feasibility and 
engineering studies is scarce, and officials have little 
understanding of the scale of potential consequences. 
Equally alarming, perhaps, is that Bolivian glaciers' 
recession is not unique: glaciers in Ecuador and elsewhere in 
the Andes appear to be undergoing the same phenomenon.  End 
comment. 
GOLDBERG