Minister Gabriela Jiménez warns about the impact of the climate crisis in Venezuela

Published at: 01/07/2025 10:13 PM

The Minister of Popular Power for Science and Technology, Gabriela Jiménez, presented studies that reveal the global climate crisis and its direct effects on Venezuelan territory, especially in the country's mountainous regions.

Through a message released on his Telegram channel, he reported a worrying overheating that is occurring on a global scale, which has been progressing at an alarming rate in recent times affecting all regions of the world and from which Venezuela does not escape.

“As a result of the climate crisis, there is anomalous ocean overheating in the Caribbean Sea, with a variation of approximately 1.5 °C, generating intense rain conditions and increasing the risk of landslides in mountainous terrain,” Jiménez said.

In this regard, he cited a report from the Climate Change Services System of the Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research IVIC, which reveals an abrupt and intense warming of the waters of the Caribbean Sea and especially in the Tropical North Atlantic, “generating historic humid pulses in various regions of the country.”

“The recent extreme weather events in Venezuela have a strong correlation between warm waters in the tropical Atlantic, increasing episodes of heavy rains, mainly affecting mountainous areas,” said the vice-president of science.

He stressed that the Climate Change Services System recommends continuous monitoring of the situation, since the conditions that caused the intense rains in the Andes could be repeated and extended to other regions, including the Cordillera de la Costa.

“This pattern of heavy rains has been influenced by an acceleration of trade winds in the Caribbean Sea. The impact of the climate crisis through rainfall is complex. For example, in May, accumulated rainfall in the Andean region and in the Western Plains reached between 80 and 250 mm, saturating the soils and generating instability,” Jiménez said.

He added that Tropical Waves 04 and 05 in the month of June caused torrential rains in Táchira, Mérida, Trujillo and Barinas, with accumulations of up to 50 mm in three hours, causing land saturation and landslides; while Tropical Waves 06 and 07 continued to generate heavy rains in the region, with accumulations of up to 90 mm in some areas of Mérida.

“In May, the rainfall map in the Andean and plain regions showed accumulations of up to 2.5 million 500 thousand liters of water per hectare, and in some parts of the Andean foothills, close to 3 million liters of water per hectare,” said the minister.

He also said that in 2025 alone, there was an increase of 68% in rainfall, significantly exceeding historic highs in some areas, such as in Barinas, which registered an increase of 169% compared to other years; or in the city of Rubio in Táchira, where it rained 212% more than the maximum recorded.

“This phenomenon is also altering climate floors, moving thermal zones to higher altitudes and affecting biodiversity and agriculture. For example, traditional crops on certain floors may be affected, while other crops could adapt or expand to new altitudinal areas,” he explained.

He also emphasized that “mountainous areas are especially vulnerable to these changes, with an increase in the risk of landslides and other natural disasters.”

With this situation, it suggests the use of plant species such as bamboo to stabilize slopes and protect riverbanks, as well as reforestation in degraded areas to improve water and food production.

“We accompany President Nicolás Maduro in his proposal to work on a Plan for Attention and Mitigation of these impacts, including the activation of Ecosocialism Councils, the strengthening of climate monitoring, the revision of urban planning in risk areas, and the implementation of a national plan for dredging rivers,” he said.

Mazo News Team