Peru's indigenous people spot signs of climate change in killer freeze
HUNDREDS of people have died in the worst winter to hit Peru in nearly 50 years – and the people of the high Andes fear there is worse to come.
With temperatures plunging to a deadly minus 24C children and elderly people have literally died in their sleep because of the cold, poorly protected from the harsh elements by their mud and straw shacks.
Rebecca Clements, who works in Peru for UK NGO Practical Action, said the farmers and herdsmen of the high Andes, who live up to 5,000 metres above sea level, know that this extreme weather is not normal.
She said: “The mountain people themselves have noticed these changes, without knowing anything about the science of climate change.
“Famers here don’t switch the TV on to check the weather forecast, they look for signs around them, when flowers come into bloom, when certain animals start to nest and from that they can predict what kind of weather is to come.
“But now they are finding that these indicators are no longer working because the climate is changing so rapidly and dramatically.
“People assume that climate change means that everywhere will get hotter but that’s simply not the case, in some areas, like Peru, it will get much colder.”
While the government is currently organising emergency aid to help the most vulnerable, Practical Action works throughout the year in partnership with local communities to help them become more self-sufficient and less vulnerable to the cold winters.
“Poverty is the real issue here. The people have no resources. They don’t have electricity or heating. All they have to stay warm are blankets and whatever wood or dung they can find to burn,” said Rebecca, 28, the regional project coordinator.
“Our mission is to support the people of the high Andes to obtain the skills and resources to survive the hard winters, to make them more resilient.
“Practical Action work with villages to build solar, wind or hydro electric power generators so they can have electricity to keep warm.
“We also find the best crops to grow, as the extreme cold can wipe out farmers’ crops in one go leaving the family with no food. There are more than 4000 types of potato in Peru so we work together with communities to find the best ones for the cold.
“It may sound simple, but interventions like these can be real life savers – quite literally.”
Also in danger are the herds of 100,000s of alpacas which rural communities depend upon not only for the wool trade but to clothe and feed their families.
Alpacas are normally hardy animals but the extreme temperatures have frozen many mountain streams cutting off their source of fresh drinking water. Without the alpaca indigenous populations will have no other way to make a living.
Practical Action helps alpaca farmers to plant the right grasses, high in nutrition and energy and resistant to cold, so the animals remain strong and healthy throughout the year producing thick wool.
