Abstract
Guyana's low-elevation coast hosts the majority of its population. It is predicted to become one of the world's top 10 most impacted nations from sea level rise in terms of the percentage of the population and extent of urban area implicated. Ranging from a low estimate of 16 percent to a high estimate of 103 percent, Guyana is expected to have one of the greatest losses in gross domestic product in the Caribbean as a result of climate change. One of the poorest countries in the western hemisphere, Guyana remains reliant on foreign assistance to mitigate potential consequences. Researchers have demonstrated an urgent need to update flood control. Irrigation technologies also need rehabilitation. The name Guyana is Amerindian for "Land of Water;' but the country may be losing its fresh groundwater. It has been suggested that this may contribute to coastal subsidence.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2008
Publisher Statement
Copyright © 2008 Sage Publications, Inc. This article first appeared in Encyclopedia of Global Warming and Climate Change.
Please note that downloads of the article are for private/personal use only.
Purchase online at Sage Publications, Inc.
Recommended Citation
Finley-Brook, Mary. "Guyana." In Encyclopedia of Global Warming and Climate Change, edited by S. George Philander, 484-485. Vol. 2. Los Angeles: Sage Publications, 2008.