Extreme weather opens new economic opportunities in Ecuador and Peru

Peru and Ecuador are highly vulnerable to economic disruption at the hands of El Nino, but extreme weather also opens some new economic opportunities

FORO writes,

Despite these vulnerabilities, the fact that this is a recurrent event presents some economic opportunities: (i) In Peru, landslides upriver enrich the lowlands as long as they are controlled, while spikes in rainfall contributes to the growth of livestock pastures; (ii) in Ecuador, the higher temperatures encourage the production of shrimp, and rains create new areas for cultivation and pasture; (iii) in both countries, EN brings a large supply of water that could be stored by a complex of reservoirs and dams.”

Implications

Thus far, the effects of El Nino have been negative, understood only in retrospect, and poorly prevented against; however, preventative measures, combined with economic adaptation, could make the region much more resilient in the face of extreme weather.